Savage
by Laatija
Summary: Just a routine trip to find a ZPM. But since when has anything gone as planned? Shep Whump! well, at least it started out as just Sheppard but now its morphed into whump all around! Yay!
1. And so it Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own it, yadda yadda yadda

A/N: Haha so i first posted this last night and was so excited that i forgot the disclaimer and junk like that... Ok, its fixed now.

**Savage**

Sheppard glared down at the crack in the table, trying not to fall asleep. The man droned on and on about nothing in particular. At least, nothing particularly interesting. He said something about a ZedPM but really, since when was that anything new. In fact, they always seemed to find a ZedPM. One that was ether nearly depleted or was the cause of angry village people should you attempt to take said device. Sheppard himself received some interesting scares from such endeavors. Mental and physical.

Wow, that was one fascinating crack…

_BANG!_

John snapped his head up to find Weir glaring at him, a small stack of heavy looking files sitting on the table, under her hands. John smiled sheepishly and attempted to shrink into himself. "So, are we going or what?" He asked.

"As I was saying," Weir said. "I want you to check it out. See if this is worth pursuing. You leave in an hour." Everyone filed out of the room, John mistakenly in the back. Weir moved to cut him off from the door. He grimaced.

"Are you alright Colonel?" She asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." He answered honestly. She looked skeptical, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm good." He assured. "It's just hard to believe that we're actually going to get one this time. I got bored. Sorry." He shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at the floor. Elizabeth smirked. "I know what you mean. Just try not to get hurt this time ok? It really shouldn't be that difficult this time. Teyla seems certain that this race of…aliens are friendly."

He smiled. "That's what she always says. I'll buy you a postcard while we're there." He chirped.

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They stepped out of the gate into the business end of a waiting ring of weapons. John groaned. "Oh heck no!" He raised his hands and signaled for the rest of the team to follow suit.

The ring parted in the middle to allow a man passage through. He was tall and imposing and carried a gun in his hands. "Who are you?" He demanded.

"Explorers, traders, allies, take your pick." John said, stepping forward to meet the man. "I'm Lt. Colonel John Sheppard."

The man glared at him. "I am Commander Weston. Please relinquish your weapons and follow me."

"Well…since you said please." John unclipped his P-90 and 9 mil and tossed them to the ground, feeling very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Their gracious host led them to a tent and had them sit at a food laden table. He sat at the head of the table. "Now, why are you here?" He asked.

"To explore." Rodney answered this time, growing impatient with the man.

"Well I'm afraid that you won't be able to. We happen to be in the middle of a war. I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Just what kind of war?" John asked. "Maybe we can work something out."

"Perhaps… The creatures of this planet have become…difficult. They refuse to deal with us and we feel the need to subdue them." Something about the commanders' words sounded wrong.

"Wait, you're not native to this planet?" Rodney asked. Weston snorted a laugh.

"Of course not! We are a civilized people my friend. This planet is… disgusting." Sheppard smothered his desire to slap the pompous smile right off the mans face. The planet was beautiful and this all sounded like a push for slavery to him.

"I think we need to talk to these people." John stated. Weston glared flatly at him.

"You cannot. They are a savage race and would not hesitate to kill you." A deeper warning filled the mans voice.

"Right…" John had a feeling that he shouldn't press the matter. "Ok, look, we're here to look at some ruins. That's it. We won't get involved in this little war."

The commander thought for a moment before responding. "I assume you mean the ruins that are south of here yes? At the crest of the big hill?" John nodded and Weston continued. "You may explore as much as you want but I must warn you that we will not be responsible for your party. We also won't hesitate to retaliate should you decide to attack our encampment. Do we understand each other?"

John smiled. "Perfectly."

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Sheppard leaned back against the tree, enjoying the sunset. Teyla finished setting up camp and sat cross-legged on the ground and started her new found hobby, knitting. Rodney sat on a stump and glared down at the ancient date pad that was their key into the crumbling tomb that supposedly held the ZedPM. Ronon perched on a piece of rubble that jutted out over the hill. He eyed a small deer like animal.

"You guys want fresh meat tonight?" He asked. Rodney looked up from his puzzle and gave Ronon a crazy look.

"That's…are you sure that thing is safe to eat?" He sputtered.

"Yeah," Ronon drawled, "it tastes pretty good actually. Better then what we got right now."

"That's barbaric!"

John grinned. "What do you think people ate before they invented the power bar McKay?" Rodney glared at him.

"Vegetables." He muttered before turning back to the data pad. John's grin grew bigger as he turned back to the phenomenal sunset. It was all just perfect.

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A pair of yellow eyes watched the strangers as they milled about their camp. The owner of the eyes grunted and shifted positions for a better view. The strangers were simply sitting at the entrance to the temple. Just sitting there. The one assumed to be the leader had activated the tablet. It would not be long before he would activate the gateway.

Interesting.

--------------

Teyla's eyes snapped open as the sporadic pop of gun fire reached her ears. She jumped to her feet to find John and Ronon already awake. They said nothing, seeming to communicate by eye contact alone. She understood this silent communication. The three of them took positions around the encampment and simply watched.

For awhile, nothing happened. Then she eventually caught site of running figures. The moon made for just enough light to see the fleeing men below. Orange flashes from gun barrels lit up the valley like giant mutant fireflies.

The two men next to her tensed as they realized what she just did.

The enemy was running towards them.

Ronon backed up a few steps and kicked some sand into the smoldering fire embers. John tightened his grip on his P-90 and shot Teyla a grim smile. This would be interesting.

The night suddenly became eerily quite as thick clouds covered the moon and threw the entire valley into pitch black darkness. A hesitant tension grew between the three warriors. The nocturnal creatures muted their night songs in a foreboding response to the rising apprehension.

Waiting. One could only wait.

The seconds ticked by while still nothing happened. Teyla found she was holding her breath at let it out in what seemed a noisy rush. She could feel a bead of sweat roll down her face to drip off her chin into a small yet ever growing puddle at her feet.

Something snapped faintly to her left and Teyla couldn't help but whirl around to face the invisible threat. A low growl seemed to reverberate through ground. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Then the clouds passed.

Time stood still for a few precious seconds. In those few precious seconds, disaster stuck.

A tall dark figure stood in the middle of camp, frozen by shock at the unruly timing of the clouds. He held the ancient tablet in his black clad hands. His eyes flashed.

John barked out warning and pulled his P-90 around to the intruder. The figure moved fast. He dropped the tablet and launched into the air, somersaulting over Sheppard's head to land behind him.

The clouds returned and darkness once again settled over them all.

Sheppard grunted once before unnerving quite dominated the night.

All this happened within four seconds.

Teyla finally clicked her flashlight on and scanned the area where John was.

His P-90 sat on the ground. The strap was shredded and soaked in blood.

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TBC


	2. Bad Kitty

John knew he was in trouble as soon as darkness enveloped them again. The man grabbed him by the throat and, with surprising strength, hulled him upwards into a near by tree.

He felt like a dead antelope being hulled up a tree by a leopard. His shoulder throbbed and he couldn't breathe very well.

They were moving fast now, swinging from tree to tree like Tarzan or something. Sheppard groped for his gun and nearly cried in relief when his fingers curled around the familiar handle. He reached around to point the gun at where the arm and pulled the trigger.

His attacker yowled in pain and immediately dropped him. John fell a few feet before smacking into a wide tree branch. He gasped in attempt to fill his lungs with air. In the dark, he could just barely make out the form of the assailant above him. He aimed at the form and fired three rounds into it. The human shaped mass ducked back and to the right before dropping out of site.

This seriously sucked…

Sheppard lay panting on the branch, praying that the moon would once again make an appearance.

It did. Just in time for him to see dark hairy arm come from under the branch to curl around his waist and pull him down to the ground. The man, shrouded in the shadow of the trees, kicked the gun from John's hands and planted a foot on his chest with enough force to crack bone.

John silently cursed the man while at the same time he reached down to pull his knife from its sheath. He glared at his enemy. "What do you want with me?" He growled through clenched teeth. The other man grunted a laugh. A split second into the laugh, John whipped the knife around, planning on planting the thing in the other mans heel. The other man was quick; he leapt to one side and caught hold of John's wrist, leaning into a beam of light at the same time.

Sheppard's breath caught in his throat.

A feline face stared down at him. The humanoid alien looked like the cat version of a werewolf. Turquoise cat eyes, angular face, pitch black fur, rippling muscles. Curved sharp claws and teeth.

John could only stare at it. Then it raised a fist and sent him spiraling into the blessed land of darkness.

--------------

Teyla could only stare at the gun strap, the blood now drying in the heat of the day. Ronon studied the marks on the ground and nearby trees. Rodney busied himself with the tablet, desperate for something to distract him.

"It was an animal." Ronon finally concluded.

Teyla shook her head. "It was a man, I saw him."

"Well then it was a man with claws. See, claws have shredded the tree bark here." He pointed to the obvious gouges in the wood. Teyla sighed.

"Can you track them?" She asked. Ronon nodded slowly.

"I can try."

"We will return to Atlantis and inform them of the situation."

"Be careful. I don't trust that Weston guy."

"Something is wrong with this war... We'll be careful." She gave him a reassuring smile. He returned it before turning back the scared trees.

"What did you get yourself into this time Sheppard?" Ronon muttered.

--------------

A whole lot of crap. That's what he was in right now, a whole lot of crap.

He awoke in a subdued light to find himself upside down, hogtied and swinging on the back of a particularly hairy alien. An unpleasant numbness made itself known as he tried to flex his toes. It took a few more minutes for him to realize that he felt like crap completely. His shoulder throbbed and his head spun which wasn't helped by the daredevil antics of his captor, who swung from the top boughs of thick ancient trees. The nausea kicked in about five minutes after that as he was forced to look down at the swirling depths below.

He moaned through clenched teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

After what seemed like hours, the giant cat swung down to the forest floor and settled into a smooth lope along the ground. Smooth, that is, until John finally lost the battle against his stomach and he heaved the contents of it onto the back of his captor.

The big cat skidded to stop, growling. With a few deft swipes of its claws, it severed the bonds holding John in place, letting him fall to the ground. John groaned and rolled onto his back to fix his best glare on the alien. "That's what you get, pussy." He barked. The being cocked its cat like head and glared back. John realized that this was his first good look at the alien. It was tall, lean, and well muscled. It had on a simple pair of shorts but nothing else, other than a decorative arm band. Every one of its six long fingers ended in a curved retractable claw. He suddenly realized that he had no idea whether it was a male or female. It moved with natural grace as it strode over and slapped him.

Probably female, he concluded.

"Pig…" It mumbled. It pulled a section of cord from a shoulder bag and tied it around his neck, creating a leash of sorts. Then it leaned down and slashed the cords binding his feet together. "Run." It commanded, jerking him to his feet. He promptly fell again as his feet suddenly reminded him that they hadn't had a decent amount of blood for a while. The cat's upper lip curled up at the corner in annoyance. It reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck to haul him upright again. It simply held him for a moment to make sure his legs would hold him, then it started walking, not running, simply walking. John stumbled after it like the good little human that he was…

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Elizabeth held her head in her hands, elbows on the table. Teyla offered P-90 to her, putting on the table after Elizabeth refused to take it.

"And Ronon went after him?"

"Yes, he felt confident that he could track them."

Weir sighed. This was just too common to be horrifying. It would have almost been morbidly amusing had the blood stained gun strap not been staring her down.

"Ok, let's send another team through with a puddle jumper. I'll come talk with what's-his-name…Weston. Rodney, come with me. Teyla, you can go with the other team. Let's go find him…again."

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TBC…please review


	3. Ah Dang

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"And then they made me their chief!" The big cat whirled around to glare at him and growled a warning. He looked indignant. "What? You're not talkative. Is it so wrong that I tell you my life story? You could say something you know, saves me from talking. Like you could tell me who you are and why you're kidnapping me…though I suppose it would be human-napping. Or you could tell me about why Weston and his groupies are hunting you… Anything really, I'm all ears." A hand flashed out to grab his throat. He batted it away at the last minute in a feeble attempt to save his throat. Feeble in that the cat had another arm which it used to pin him against a tree trunk. It leaned in closer and hissed low in his ear.

"Ether you keep quite or I will throw you to the Torians who will tear you to pieces. And you may call me Mrovv." It spoke with a slight lisp due to its pointy teeth. John stared at it for a moment.

"Are…are you a female?" He asked. The cat hissed and slapped him across the face, letting the claws retract a bit, leaving three red scratches down his cheek. He brought his bound hands up to his face, feeling the sticky wetness of blood. Despite the burning sensation in his face, he couldn't help but notice the thin smirk on Mrovv's face. Then he groaned. Being kidnapped was bad enough but being kidnapped by a ticked off alien chick was just down right awful.

--------------

"Ah doodle floss." Ronon muttered, using the phrase that Sheppard had insisted was the worst possible Earth swear word…

He sent a fist into the nearby tree, cursing in a few other languages. The trail had gone cold. Completely. An hour into the hunt, the trail took to the upper levels of the trees where Ronon couldn't possibly reach with out climbing equipment. He could barely discern some scratches in the tree bark if he squinted hard enough but other than that, he was lost.

He tapped his radio. "I lost it." He said flatly. A few moments of static passed before an answer came. "We're coming with a scanner, stay where you are."

"Fine."

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"What do you mean you won't help us?" Weir fought to keep her voice level but it wavered with pent up anger. Weston sighed heavily.

"Dr.Weir, I have told you this before. We were dealt a very heavy blow last night. Several of my men are dead and many more are critically injured. We have bigger problems here then one of your men. And I do believe that I told your Colonel Sheppard that we would not be responsible for your people. Now please, I'm very busy." He brushed past her. Ever the persistent diplomat, Weir followed.

"Are you going to after the hostiles?" She asked. Weston's shoulders slumped forward as he walked.

"Yes, we will go after the hostiles." He begrudgingly admitted.

"Well, that's perfect. Let some of my men join your battalion." Weir insisted.

Weston closed his eyes against a headache and rubbed his temple. "Fine. My men leave at sunup. They will leave with or without you."

"Thank you." Elizabeth turned swiftly and walked away to hide her sigh of relief. She caught up with Rodney outside of the tent. "They're letting us tag along. Get a hold of Ronon. I want him going along with them. Teyla to and whoever else they think is necessary. They're leaving at sunup. I still want the jumper scanning the area. I need to go back to the city. You coming or staying?" She asked finally. Rodney just stared at her for a moment.

"Well…staying. I'll drive the jumper or something." He shoved his hands into his pockets. Weir looked sideways at him. "What?" He huffed. "I can drive the jumper… I can!" Despite the situation, Elizabeth actually grinned.

"Bring him home Rodney."

"We will."

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John panted as he struggled to keep up with Mrovv. His battered body moved stiffly and hurt with each step. The big alien kept jogging ahead of him, oblivious to his plight. All in all though, she wasn't really that cruel of a captor. A few slaps on the cheek wasn't so bad compared to what he'd been through before.

His legs finally gave out and fell face first in the dirt, the noose around his neck pulling tight. It took Mrovv a moment to realize he had stopped. When she finally turned around it was with an annoyed sneer on her face. "Pathetic pink skin…"She mumbled. She tied the end of his lease around a tree trunk and sat down on her haunches to glare at him. "Night comes," She growled, "we cannot stay here for long." She reached into her oversized shoulder bag, pulled out a flask and handed it to him. John took a drink from the flask and put on a sour face.

"What the heck is this stuff?" He demanded. The big cat cocked her head, ears swiveled forward.

"Leopon juice. It will give you strength." She explained, talking slowly, patronizingly.

John nodded grimly. "Right." He took another pull from the flask, fighting back a gag reflex. "My name's John, by the way." He said, handing the flask back. Mrovv drank deeply, ignoring his words.

"Are you ready now, pink skin?" She asked.

"No." He scoffed.

"You don't hav—"She stopped mid sentence and stared off into trees. Her body became rigid; her ears swiveled around, nose twitching.

"What is it?" John whispered. Mrovv pointedly ignored him and extended her claws. John's stomach churned.

A large gray blur barreled out of the trees and thudded into Mrovv. A mass of black and gray fur tore across the ground amidst the muffled ambiance of roars and growls.

"Ohh crap… oh crap oh crap!" John shuffled behind his tree, stretching his rope to its limits and nearly killing himself in the process. He pulled at the knots with his bound hands, praying that they would loosen.

The forest suddenly fell silent. Sheppard sat with his back against the tree, panting. He slowly peeked around it, anticipating the cruel swipe of claws against his face.

He was stunned.

Two big mutant cats were nuzzling each other. The dark gray newcomer was behind, licking the Mrovv's head with a big pink tongue. John scooted out from around the tree and just stared at the purring pair.

The newcomer was several shades lighter then Mrovv with a white stripe running down its back. It was the same size and carried the same sort of bag. It stopped cleaning Mrovv's head and turned to look at John, eyes narrowing. It made some grunting noises and jumped up to pin him against the tree.

Mrovv rolled her eyes and made a clicking noise. The other cat clicked back and glared at him, tightening its grip.

It took John a few moments, with the lack of oxygen to his brain, to figure out that the two were talking. He pulled feebly at the rock like arm, sending a pleading look toward Mrovv.

Mrovv cooed and clicked. She finally snorted and hissed when the other alien ignored her. John imagined her saying _Just let him go already. I caught him, he's mine. _

Ol' white stripe grumbled _Fine…He's pathetic anyway._

Despite the fact that the conversation was in his mind, he felt offended. White stripe sniffed once and finally released him. Sheppard fell on his butt, massaging his neck. He nodded thanks to Mrovv. She continued to click and purr at her friend who returned the noises with vigor. Their conversation came to a close and Mrovv took the end of his leash again.

"Your people come, we must go." She said simply, tugging the leash and trotting off into the trees. John followed, like he had much choice.

"So…who is that?" He asked. Mrovv ignored him. White stripe glared at him.

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TBC


	4. Here we go again

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… Sorry this chapter took so long; school has been a beast and probably will be for the next few weeks so bare with me…

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Ronon pointed at a big oak like tree. "That's where I lost them." He told Weston's men. A short man with neon orange goggles nodded and walked forward, signaling for the rest of the men to follow.

Rodney's brow furrowed. "How do they know where they went?" He mumbled to Teyla.

"I do not know. Our only option is to follow them, I suppose." She sighed.

"Well…that's just not…right." He huffed.

"I agree."

Rodney studied the ground for a moment. "You think he's still alive?" He said quietly. Teyla looked at him with close to teary eyes.

"Of course."

"Right. I mean… right of course. He's been in worse situations before right? Right." Rodney took a deep breath. "Ooook…" He jogged up to a solider. "So, what kind of people are we pursuing? I mean, these things have claws and crap so what are they?"

A young blond headed man with big fearful eyes laughed halfheartedly. "They are monsters. They take the form of a man but are yet still different. They have the features of a beast with glowing eyes and mouths that burn. They are the things of nightmares. That is what we pursue." The man walked faster, leaving an open mouthed Rodney.

"What did he say?" Teyla asked.

"Sheppard's dead." Rodney said with a deadpan expression. "Oh crap…"

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Well, he was feeling very much left out. This was probably a good thing for someone in John's position but none the less, he was offended. Mrovv and White Stripe ignored him completely, aside from the occasional harassment when he spoke. They spoke to each other of course. A lot. He surmised that the two were long lost friends who were just now seeing each other for the first time. Ether that or it took a really long time to say something in their language.

He stumbled on yet another stone and cursed. Yes, he learned a few hours ago not to talk or bother the pair. Precisely seven blisters and five burses ago actually. He had been talking about dogs at the time and White Stripe pushed him to the ground and took his shoes and socks.

Now White Stripe, he decided, was of the devil. He guessed that demon kitty was also a female since he couldn't find any difference in the anatomy of the two. She was pure evil though. If he fell or lagged behind to much, she put it upon herself to 'motivate' him to move again. He discovered first hand just how sharp her claws were.

Mrovv was ok though, for a mutant cat. He caught the pitted glances she sent his way when White Stripe beat the snot out of him. Sheppard resolved to talk to her if he ever got the chance.

The chance came when the sun rose again after a full night of marching. Mrovv tied him off and gave him some Leopon juice. White Stripe curled up at the base of a tree to sleep, he assumed, and Mrovv sat cross-legged next to him, holding back a yawn.

It was now or never.

"Mrovv?" He tentatively said, then braced for a hit. The alien twitched and raised an eye brow, glaring at him. Well, she didn't stop him. That was good, right? He took a deep breath and continued. "Why…do you want me?"

"You will see." She lisped.

"Who is your friend there?" He pointed to the sleeping cat. Mrovv leaned back against the tree and chuckled.

"She is not your concern. You ask too many questions. Rest while you still have a chance." She closed her eyes. John huffed but followed suite. He failed to notice the thin slit in White Stripes eyelids.

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He was swinging again. It was dark. He could feel scratchy fur on his cheek. He was being carried…again. His head swam through a murky…murkiness.

_AHH crap…drugs…just say no for goodness sake!_ He thought to himself. The swinging motion gently lulled him into a shallow slumber that sent him reeling through clouds.

Drugs are good for something at least…

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The man with the orange goggles held up a hand to signal a halt.

Rodney sighed with relief, falling to his butt. Teyla sat down next to him and handed him a canteen of water. Ronon leaned against a tree and gnawed on what looked like beef jerky. "We're getting close I think. They've picked up the pace." He said.

"That's ether really good or really bad." Rodney quipped dryly.

"Have faith Rodney." Teyla put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Have faith? We've been marching for days and still nothing." Rodney snapped.

"We'll find him." Ronon snapped back.

Red goggle guy suddenly started running, signaling for a few men to follow. Ronon chased after them and skidded to a stop just outside of a clearing.

A black feline humanoid lay hogtied at the base of a big tree, a gag stuffed in its mouth. Big turquoise eyes shot daggers at them. It struggled against its bonds, ropy muscle bulging in effort.

For a moment, no one moved so Ronon strode forward, knife in hand. He cut the gag off. Avoiding the snapping jaws, he punched it squarely in the mouth.

"What did you do with him?" He asked calmly. The feline hissed at him, ears pinned flat against its head, eyes narrowing. He punched it again, holding his knife in such a way as to let the tip of it cut into the aliens face. "What did you do with him?" He demanded a little louder this time. A thin smile crept onto the felines face.

"He is gone, taken by the Torians. They will tear him apart to get what he has. All you can do is morn for your friend." It spat on the ground and snapped its jaws shut.

"What does he have that they want?"

"Something that you do not."

Ronon cursed. Rodney sided up to him, ogling the big alien. The feline snapped its eyes to him and grinned. "But something that you do have, pink skin." Rodney's brow furrowed as Ronon drug him away.

"What was it talking about?" Rodney sputtered.

"Sheppard has been kidnapped…again, by something else. The Torians." Ronon explained. "You and him both have something that they want. Any idea what that might be?" Rodney's eyes widened.

"Coordinates to Earth." He said immediately. "We have to find him."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Ronon snapped. Rodney shrugged his shoulders, feeling lost.

Teyla gazed at the struggling alien. It roared in pain and snapped at a circling solider. A flash of fear passed behind its eyes for a brief second.

"It knows where they are." She said. "We must ask it."

"Teyla, it's an animal." Rodney snorted. She shook her head.

"No. We must ask it to lead us to them." She insisted. Ronon stared at her.

"There is no way Weston's men will let us near it you know." He pointed out.

"That is why we will do it in secret." Her eyes carried a devious glint. Ronon caught on and grinned.

"We'll wait until the sun goes down."

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TBC… please review and help me along here…let me know what I'm doing wrong…


	5. Bad Bad Kitty!

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John hissed in pain as his back made friends with the cold hard ground. Someone was muttering in the background and he could hear the sound of multiple pairs of feet on the ground. He had absolutely no desire to see what was making so much noise behind him. Really, who cared what it was, he hurt.

White Stripe stalked past him, failing to resist the urge to kick him in the gut as she walked past. He grunted and curled up into a ball, begging the pain to ease.

Small, cold, hairless hands suddenly turned him over and pressed something to his lips. John yelped and jumped back, startled. He stared into the eyes of a young boy. The boy's eyes glistened in a sorrowful apology as he offered a small canteen of water. John took it gratefully. "Thank yo—"He started but the boy held up a hand to his lips and shook his head. John nodded and took a drink. He finally noticed that he was in a small clearing of trees. A group of haggard people milled about in it, ringed in by a few imposing mutant cat people. But these aliens were different. Aside from White Stripe, these were shorter and tail less and looked more…mean. The all had an intricate tattoo of sorts on their cheeks. A few of them stoked a fire at the edge of the clearing.

White Stripe walked up to him and tossed a fist sized object into his hands. John caught it instantly, almost fearfully. The object lit up as he touched it. It was smooth milky white orb that, now that he held it, swirled with breath taking color. His brow furrowed in confusion. He glanced up at White Stripe who eyed him with a new desire.

She barked and clicked to the aliens around the fire. They roared in return. She turned back to him and pulled him to the fire by the nape of his neck, pinching several nerves in the process. He grunted and pulled at her hand. She let go only to shove him to the ground and plant a foot on his head.

He could see them out of the corner of his eyes and what he saw made his stomach churn. White Stripe pulled a long metal pole out of the fire. The pole ended in a wide swirling design, not unlike the tattoos on their cheeks. It was red from the heat of the fire. Images of cowboys branding cattle thudded through him. He yelped and bucked upward, trying to dislodge the cat's foot. White Stripe ignored him. She, with the help of her cronies, ripped his shirt off. She ran her nails down his back and chuckled as he panted and squirmed. With out any warning, she shoved the burning metal onto the bare skin at the base of his neck.

For years, John prided himself on his high threshold for pain and never failed to brag about it to his peers. For once, he was glad that he was alone. There was no one he knew in this forest to hear him scream.

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Teyla moved quietly through the trees with a practiced ease. She crouched down behind the tree line, waiting for Ronon's signal. It came as the muffled thump of a body. She ran to where the alien slept and hunkered down next to it, keeping herself at its back. She slipped a hand over its mouth and whispered into its ear.

"If you value your freedom and your life, then do not cry out." She warned. The alien beneath her tensed but nodded slowly. Teyla hesitated but moved her hand away. "Do you know where they have taken him?" She asked.

"If I knew, I would not tell you." The alien hissed back. Teyla inwardly moaned.

"We have no quarrel with your people and will have no quarrel with you if you lead us to his captors."

"All pink skins are alike. They attack my people thoughtlessly. They treat us like monsters. Why should I help your kind?" Anger seethed from the alien.

"I am sorry for the grief that my kind has caused you but I can assure you, not all of us are as cruel. Especially the one you have kidnapped, he would not judge you so. As I have said before, we have no quarrel with you or your people. We are not from the same world as your tormenters. Please, lead us to them."

"Let me see your face." The alien purred. Teyla did not hesitate as she moved to face it. The alien studied her for a moment. Teyla saw a flicker of pity in the creatures' eyes.

"Why did you take him?" She asked.

"He has the power to do things that most of your kind cannot. We only wished to use that power to save our people. He would not have been seriously harmed. The one's who have taken him now are not our kind; they are traitors and wish to use his power to destroy us and our enemies. I tell you this now because you are indeed different. Search my eyes and know this to be true." It held her gaze for several seconds until Teyla nodded slowly.

"We will free you if you will help us." She offered. The alien studied her for a moment.

"I will rescue John." It said. Teyla was surprised for a moment that the big creature actually knew his name. She quickly dismissed the surprise.

"My name is Teyla."

"Mrovv."

"Hold still, Mrovv, I am going to cut you lose." She quickly slashed the bonds holding Mrovv in place. The big cat sprung up and stretched. Teyla then realized how tall and imposing the alien really was.

"I will bring him back." Mrovv leapt into the trees and disappeared into the night. Teyla wanted to yell that this was not what she had in mind but thought better of it and settled on muttering some very unlady like curses. She angrily tapped her radio

"It has escaped."

--------------

John curled in a ball and stayed that way until he drifted off into a fitful sleep. He awoke later to find the clearing thrown into an eerie pale light. A full moon hung low in the sky, partially obscured by a jagged tree line.

Loneliness picked at him. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. He focused his eyes on the moon, fighting back the dark thoughts that threatened to smother him. A cold wind blew threw the clearing and picked at his exposed torso. He pulled his knees in closer in a poor attempt to preserve heat. A shiver ran down his spine and he hissed as the burn on his back twitched with it.

This no longer just sucked. This was torture.

A dark hairy hand curled around his mouth. He jumped in surprise and automatically pulled away from it but the hand held him still.

"Do not make a sound pink skin." A low voice hissed in his ear. His whole body relaxed as the voice registered in his brain. The hand moved away. Mrovv materialized out of the darkness and signaled for him to follow. He nodded dumbly and struggled to his feet. Days little water, powerful drugs and no food had taken their toll. Mrovv wrapped her arm around his waist and half supported, half carried him into the dark shadows of the trees.

John melted into the warmth of Mrovvs fur. He huddled in closer, his body shaking with uncontained shivers. His body was shutting down on him. A heavy lethargy pulled at him, forcing his eyelids to close. His feet stumbled along blindly until they gave out altogether. Mrovv muttered something that he should have heard had his brain not completely shut down on him. The last thing he remembered was an angry yowl in the distance.

--------------

TBC! Please don't hesitate to reviewJ


	6. Oh Crap

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Sheppard awoke to a very familiar feeling. His face rested on a familiar hairy shoulder which swayed back and forth. He saw a very familiar ground rush by him as they swung from branch to branch. A familiar feeling of nausea greeted him.

He pushed himself up as far as he could. "Mrovv…s-stop…please." He rasped. The big cat kept swinging. "MROVV!" He yelled. Mrovv immediately dropped to the forest floor and cut the ropes that held him to her back. He fell to the ground and cursed.

Mrovv purred at him with concern in her voice. He just groaned and brought a hand up to rub down his face. The realization hit him then that his hands weren't tied together. He glanced at Mrovv. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Do you ever not ask questions?" She snorted.

"I'll stop when you actually answer them. Why did you come for me?" He insisted. Mrovv rolled her eyes.

"I still need you."

"For what?"

"We must hurry; there are many enemies that pursue us."

"Great…" John inwardly groaned. Mrovv perceived his unease.

"It is not far to my home, do not worry."

"Right… Help me up."

--------------

Orange goggle guy glared at the Atlantians. "You released the prisoner?" He growled. Ronon returned the death glare.

"It escaped." He growled back. Goggle guy huffed.

"All is not lost, but we must hurry before the rain comes. The beast has circled back around and draws near." He turned to his men. "Bind their hands."

Ronon pulled his gun around to point at the man. Instantly, a dozen enemy weapons circled the three some. Goggle guy sneered. "Get that thing out of my face." He ordered. Ronon raised an eyebrow, gun unwavering. Goggle guy's sneer dropped. Teyla put her hand on Ronon's arm in a silent plea. He held Goggle guy's gaze for a moment more before dropping his gun and allowing his hands to be tied.

"I should praise the maker that this beasts' master is here." The man jeered. Ronon lunged for only to be beaten down by a dozen gun barrels.

Rodney's mouth hung open. "We're so dead…"

-------------

Mrovv held a finger up to her lips and fixed her best glare on John. He nodded slowly, nursing a headache that had assaulted him for hours. The big cat pushed him behind a tree and then leapt up into it. He could barely make out her inky form that had scaled the highest branches. He waited for what seemed like hours before Mrovv dropped to the ground beside him. She nodded and signaled for him to follow.

They walked for hours and he was just about to drop when he heard the distant gurgle of water. John laughed breathlessly in relief and stumbled forward with a fresh determination. Within minutes, he was splashing into a wide blue river. He sighed in content as the cold water ran over his tired body. Mrovv watched from the shore with an amused grin on her face.

"I take it, cats don't like water here ether." John held back the temptation to splash the alien. Mrovv purred.

"I am no cat." She took a running start and launched up and out over the water. She surfaced and purred loudly.

John felt that in that moment, he had befriended the beast. He also felt that it was high time that he be getting back to his own people.

"Mrovv…I need to go home." He gazed imploringly at her. "Please, let me go."

Mrovv opened her mouth to speak but stopped short and stared off into the distance. The corners of her mouth curled up in anger. Her eyes flicked towards John and she nodded her head in the direction of shore. He sloshed over to it and hid behind the nearest tree, wishing that he had his gun with him. His stomach churned in morbid anticipation.

Mrovv started to move toward the shore when a giant gray blur came out of no where to tackle her.

John instantly realized the difference between play fighting and real fighting. The water churned. Murderous roars filled the air. The two bodies bucked and twisted into one great blur of fur and water. Finally, the two cats broke apart for a few brief seconds, their ears pinned flat against their heads, teeth bared, claws bloodied. Then they charged. Mrovv sped forward, fast and low to the ground. White Stripe leapt high at the last moment and dug her claws into the others back with her back legs and flung Mrovv backwards, into a tree. The big alien's head bounced off the tree with a resounding crack and she went still.

Sheppard's eyes went wide as he stared at the bloodied gray alien in the water. White Stripe strode forward, eyes burning into his own. John turned and ran on shaky legs. White Stripe yowled and jumped over his head to land in front of him.

"Where's a werewolf when you need one?" He muttered through clenched teeth. The big cat reached for him and he ducked to the side, not quite avoiding the razor sharp claws that slashed at his legs. He spun around and jumped up on her exposed back, wrapping his arms around her neck. White Stripe wasted no time in reaching up to sink her claws into his shoulders. He moaned breathlessly and tightened his grip, thankful that the claws weren't long. The cat growled in annoyance and ripped her claws through his flesh. His grip faltered and his vision grayed. She repeated the assault, claws ripping through muscle to scrap against bone. John screamed, his anger, pain and frustration fueling the cry. In a last ditch attempt, he twisted her head to one side with all the strength he had left. White Stripe dropped instantly. He pitched forward and lay on the ground, panting, bleeding. He was going to bleed to death, he figured. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mrovv in a crumpled heap on the ground, soaked in what he hoped was water. He reached out a feeble hand to her before his world went dark…again.

---------------

Rodney glared at the goggle guy. He glared back at the ground. Then he glared back at the goggle guy again. He huffed noisily. Teyla shushed him and handed him a power bar. He begrudgingly accepted it and continued his glare.

"You know," He finally said between a mouthful of power bar, "I think that those freaky goggles are helping that guy track this alien thing." Ronon stared him through swollen eyes.

"Maybe. I've seen weirder things."

"Maybe it's a chemical signature or something that the orange lenses can pick up." McKay continued.

"How does that help us now?" Ronon huffed. McKay gave him a dirty look.

"I don't know, Conan. I'm just musing…it keeps me calm. Leave me alone."

Teyla shot both of them an angry mother glare.

Goggle guy stopped for the umpteenth time and scanned the area. Everyone went quiet which is why they heard the faint roar. It was followed soon after by a long tortured scream…a human scream.

Rodney went pale. Teyla glanced fearfully at Ronon. "John…"

Goggle guy grinned. He pulled off his goggles to rub his face and Rodney caught a glance of the ground through the lenses. He smiled grimly.

"I was right." He muttered

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TBC… like I said before, please don't hesitate to review 

A/N: Dilemma dilemma, I could end this story within the next couple chapters or I could continue on but see then I don't know if the ending would be as good as the rest of it, though if I do continue, I have a great scene in mind. What should I do?


	7. Safe?

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A warm cozy feeling greeted him as his mind slowly made its way back into the land of the living. He expected to smell the abnormally clean scent of disinfectant and hear the rhythmic beep of a heart monitor. John took a deep breath and was surprised to discover a heavy earthy scent as opposed to the normal infirmary smells. He concentrated on the smell and could eventually pick out smoke and cooking meat from the myriad of scents. The smell of food made his stomach gurgle painfully. He was about to sit up when he heard a low growl. Images of snarling gray aliens flashed in his mind. His chest started to heave with panicked breaths and he fought to keep from crying out. A hairy hand pressed something against his back. Something that stung. He released a grunted whimper and curled away from the hand. His eyes remained screwed shut as he dreaded what he would find staring down at him. The hand pulled his face to one side and pushed a cool metallic surface against his lips. Water soon trickled down the metallic surface and he eagerly lapped it up. With a shuddering breath, he pried his eyes open, blinking to clear away a sleep provoked film. A gentle, furry face gazed down at him. It reminded him of a kitten he once had. It was orange with soft cream colored stripes.

The cat thing purred reassuringly and gently patted the side of his face before pulling a heavy wool like blanket over his shoulders. John sank into a soft mound of…something and let his eyes rove over his surroundings. He lay in a small, rural hut. Its rough woven walls curved inward slightly on a wooden frame. Bundles of thatch covered the ceiling. Nothing but dirt covered the ground. Several large round basket like beds littered the small space. Only one other bed was occupied. A giant mound of spiky black fur poked up past the rim of the bed. The mound moved up and down with the occupants' steady breathing.

"Mrovv?" John pushed himself up on his elbows. A head shaped lump appeared in the mound, thin slits of turquoise breaking the steady black. John smiled in relief. A toothy grin split the black face. Mrovv slowly uncurled and stretched, settling down cross-legged on the bed. Thick stripes of brown paste covered her chest to serve as a bandage he guessed. He imagined the same stuff covered up his shredded shoulders. John rolled his shoulders slowly and nearly fainted in pain. _Ok, that was stupid._ He chided himself.

"Stay still John. You were badly injured." Mrovv cooed. Apparently, he guessed, she befriended the beast too.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I awoke and carried you here, to my home." Mrovv explained.

"Did I… I mean, is she—"

"You killed her."

"Really?"

"Yes. Very impressive for a pink skin."

"Oh…" John wasn't sure this was a good thing or not.

"Rest, my friend. Rest." Mrovv insisted. John nodded dumbly and settled down, finally ready to succumb to the call of sleep. "Mrovv?" He called out. "Thanks."

-------------

Goggle guy stood on shore, seething. The dirt on the opposite bank was disturbed and large chunks of tree bark were stripped from the trees. A bloody heap of gray fur sat on the ground.

The 'Lantians were herded across the stream and Rodney couldn't help but stare at the dead alien. Vicious looking slashes covered its torso. Its head…

"Oh gosh!" Rodney's hand flew up to cover his mouth but he couldn't turn away. Teyla, her view obstructed by one of Weston's men, glanced over at him, concerned.

"What is it Rodney?" She asked. McKay turned his pale face to her.

"Its its…head is…g-gone…" He pulled a shaking finger sideways across his throat. Teyla pushed through the men in her way and studied the alien corpse. The cut across its neck was jagged and uneven. The now bloodied stump of the spinal column had been snapped clean off.

She grimaced and pulled Rodney away from the gruesome scene.

Goggle guy muttered something to himself and kicked at the dirt. Ronon grinned. "Did you lose it?" He asked. Goggle guy glared at him.

"The water has masked the trail; it must have been wet when it left this area." He admitted. Ronon crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.

"Seems like you have a problem here. To bad you don't have a tracker with you." He drawled. Goggle guy pointed at him.

"You will track them." He demanded. Ronon shook his head.

"No, I won't. Our people will find Sheppard without you."

Goggle guy pulled a gun out and pointed it at Teyla. "I will kill her." He threatened. Ronon just cocked an eyebrow.

"You kill ether of them, and I'll kill you before the sun sets."

Goggle guy lowered his aim and fired. Teyla cried out and fell to the ground, clutching her thigh. Rodney cursed and dropped down next to her, pulling a field bandage out of one of his many vest pockets. Ronon's glare turned deadly. Goggle guy aimed his gun at Rodney.

"Shall I shoot him as well? Or will you comply?"

Silence stretched out for several minutes before Ronon answered.

"Let both of them go and I'll track this thing for you." He offered. Goggle guy smiled.

"Of course, they are of no use to us anymore." He turned to the side and motioned Ronon forward. "Track away my friend."

Ronon gave one last glance to McKay. "Get her home." Rodney nodded dumbly and Ronon turned his back on them, striding into the thick forest with a new determination. Weston's men followed, Goggle guy in the lead holding a gun to Ronon's head.

Rodney looked down at Teyla, feeling lost. She smiled grimly, holding back a pained grimace. "We will get home Rodney, do not worry."

"Right well, that's if we can find our way back."

"I am sure rescue teams will be sent soon, we only have to wait and use the radio."

"Sure…" Rodney huffed. "Lets at least get away from the headless cat woman over there; I think I'm gonna throw up or something if I have to look at it much longer." He helped Teyla stand and hobble across to the other bank, settling her down at the base of a tree. "Right um…fire. Fire would be good." He pulled sticks into a small pile and searched his pockets for a match.

"Rodney?" Teyla said softly, "We will be fine… all of us."

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TBC…when I actually get the time… Please Review!


	8. On the Road Again

A/N: Onward forward with the story! If it sucks then I'll write ya an alternative ending…

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John winced as the orange cat gently prodded his shoulders. She cooed pleasantly and nodded at Mrovv. The big black alien smiled.

"You are healing well; Sao'ri has given you leave to move as you wish."

"Great. Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a coat or something would you?" He asked eagerly. Mrovv thought for a moment then dug around in a basket, pulling an armful of cloth out of it. John glared at the meager shreds of cloth that were once a shirt. He sighed dejectedly and glanced over at Mrovv.

"I am sorry; it is all we have." Mrovv purred sadly.

"No it's... maybe I can make a head band or something." He smiled bravely. "Thanks. Really, thank you. Um… I'll just…get a shirt when I go home."

Mrovv sucked in a breath and looked at the floor. John inwardly cursed.

"C'mon Mrovv, let me go. You're not a monster or anything so…let me go."

"I cannot…"

"Why not?!" John growled, anger bubbling up to the surface of his words.

"You… you must save my people." Mrovv mumbled. "You can do things that we cannot. There is a…village, underneath the water. We cannot enter it without one of your kind."

John thought for a moment before answering.

"You could have asked first instead of kidnapping me. I'd have helped anyway. That's sorta what I do…help people."

Mrovv hissed deeply. Her ears folded back. "You are a pink skin. We should not need your help." She spat the words. John was taken aback, abnormally offended by the comment.

"Guess I'm helping you whether you like it or not. Where is this place?"

"Far away, we leave at sunset tomorrow." She said with a deadpan expression, fighting back her anger. John nodded and offered a tight smile. Mrovv stared at the floor for a few moments before stalking out with a deep grunted growl.

John stood in silence. He tapped his fingers against his legs and made popping noises with his lips, studying the woven pattern on the walls. Finally he realized that no one was coming back to give him further instruction. He awkwardly shuffled outside of the hut, hesitant yet eager to explore his new environment.

He stepped out into the bright sunlight, wincing as the light hit his eyes. When his sight was adjusted to the brightness he surveyed the village. Small clusters of huts sat in a honey comb pattern, a wide dirt path winding between the clusters. One large building sat in the middle of it all. Only a few mutant cat people were visible. They milled about, cooking over small fires or carrying bundles, a couple of them held small babies/kittens in their arms. All of them were female…or at least he thought so. They all 'talked' to each other in grunts and purrs and meows. It struck him as odd. One cat saw him and just stared at him, a mixture of awe and disdain on its face. He smiled and waved at it, suddenly feeling exposed without his shirt on.

A claw ran lightly down his back. He yelped and ducked down, spinning around at the same time. A medium sized brown kitten hung upside down from the roof of what he decided was the infirmary hut. It cocked its head and yipped at him, smiling. He chuckled nervously and waved, deciding on being friendly rather than trying to scare it away.

"Hey there…little…thing. What's your name? I'm John." He tapped his chest like they do in the movies. The cat kid dropped down, somersaulted and leapt up to grab John's hand, yipping excitedly. John laughed in earnest and followed along as the cat kid pulled on his arm. The kid, who John dubbed Skipper, led him to a group of five other cat kids who were playing.

Skipper barked at them and pointed at his new found friend. The other kittens jumped around eagerly. John smiled. "Hey guys. Whatcha doing?" He settled down cross-legged on the ground, wincing as the skin on his back pulled. The kitten things played around him, tossing a small ball back and forth. He eventually worked his way into their game, throwing the ball high and laughing as Skipper jumped for it, flipping on his way down. The game went on for over an hour. It stopped quite suddenly though when a low horn blew threw the village.

All of the kittens started running and John followed along dumbly. He noticed that the adult aliens were starting to assemble near the tree line. At least sixty of them crowded in as apposed to the scarce few he saw earlier. He stayed at the back of the crowd, standing on a pile of fire wood to see over the heads of the others.

A large group of the mutant cats materialized out of the forest and John realized then what the difference was between the male and female of the species. They were taller by a head and had thicker bulging weight lifter muscle. The fur on their necks and shoulders was just a little bit longer and bushier. Over all, they made Ronon seem tame and the females seem gentle by comparison.

The other aliens cheered as the males stepped out of the forest. Some bore the large carcasses of cow like animals. Females rushed to find what John assumed to be their mates or something.

Mrovv appeared beside him, purring.

"So," Sheppard asked. "Which one is yours?" Mrovv grinned ruefully.

"A mate has not been chosen for me. Come, you must wash and prepare for a feast tonight."

"A feast? I'm not on the menu right?"

"It is a feast for both of us. You should feel privileged, never before has a pink skin been honored in such a way. Now come, you smell like a pig."

"Ok…"

-------------

"They what?!" Elizabeth's mouth hung open.

"They…they've disabled the gate." Major Lorne admitted it like he was the one who had done it. "The worm hole won't engage."

"The Daedalus is still on Earth… their stuck." Weir cradled her head in her hands. "Keep trying the gate every half hour." Lorne nodded and trotted off. Elizabeth sighed. They were on their own for this one. She prayed that they would survive it.

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"Teyla… Teyla!"

She jerked awake to find Rodney staring down at her.

"I…I can't stop the bleeding." His voice was barely above a whisper. It took a moment for the words to register through the pain induced haze in her mind. With shaking hands, she carefully unwound the blood soaked bandage and examined the wound. She grimaced as fresh blood gurgled from it.

"We…we need to…seal the wound…" She mumbled.

"What you mean…you can't…you mean cauterize it?" McKay stuttered. "We don't have anything metal that's big enough!"

Teyla fumbled around in her vest pockets, producing a loose bullet. "Do you still have the matches?"

"Well…yes… but, what are you doing?!"

She pried the casing off of the bullet and dumped the gun powder onto the wound. "Light the match." She ordered. Rodney gapped.

"What? No I…no—"

"Do it Rodney!" He fumbled with the match until it sparked to life. Teyla nodded at her leg. "Light it." He shook his head. "Rodney, it is the only way. I will bleed to death if you do not." She put a hand on his arm. He took a deep breath and glanced at her. She nodded and he lowered the match.

Teyla managed to stifle the scream with her arm as the powder lit with a sizzling pop. A thin tendril of smoke reached Rodneys nose and he gagged on the smell of burnt flesh. Teyla fell to one side, eyes rolling back. Rodney scrambled to settle her down in a normal position, cursing to himself. He wadded up his jacket under her head and settled down next to her, wishing that Ronon or Sheppard was here with him. He felt useless just sitting here.

A long hairy arm reached around his waist and Rodney had just enough time to mutter "Oh" before fainting.

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TBC…again, when I have the time…Thanks to all who have reviewed!!


	9. Not you too!

A/N: Ok so I'm running out of cool kitty names so if ya'll have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them :-)

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Sheppard sighed contentedly as the cool creek water ran over his body. He scrubbed at the caked on dirt with a fierce determination and a rough sponge. The mud fell away with some strange soap like stuff that Mrovv had given him. For the first time in two long weeks, John felt human again. It felt good and gave him hope that he wouldn't die out here in this forest. Loneliness picked at him and he longed for human company. He briefly wondered why his team hadn't found him yet but quickly dismissed the thought, having been down that unpleasant road before.

Mrovv growled impatiently from the stony bank. John jumped in surprise and then blushed. "I'm almost done…go away."

"You are turning red, are you alright?" Mrovv sounded genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, just hand me my pants and go away." He muttered.

"You are wearing pants." She insisted, confused.

"These are boxers…Just give me my pants!" He growled impatiently.

"You pink skins have strange ways." Mrovv tossed him the wadded up clothes and snorted in annoyance. John scowled and wrestled his pants back on.

"Ok, I'm ready. Quit staring at me."

"I am sorry, your kind are just very…strange."

"Look who's talking. By the way, what do you call yourselves? I'm guessing you're not Torians." He asked as they walked up a steep path.

"We are the Sota. And your people?"

"Well generally we're all called humans but more specifically I'm an Atlantian and so is my team. I don't know about the humans who are attacking you but I do know that they aren't like us."

"Atlantian… you are very different from the other humans I have met."

"Yeah we tend to be that way." John smiled to himself.

Mrovv leapt gracefully over a fallen log that he clumsily jumped over. As they walked into the village, Skipper bounded over to them, yipping at Mrovv. She cocked her head to one side, amused. "He would like to see your back." She told John.

"Why?"

"Scars are greatly admired, especially those that were gained in a great battle. He would like to see yours."

John winced at the reminder of his 'battle' but slowly nodded his head and squatted down. Skipper spun around to gaze at his back, lightly tracing the scabbed over wounds letting his finger rest on the burn at the base of Johns neck. John flinched and jumped up, rubbing his neck. Skipper purred sadly which John assumed to be an apology. He nodded. "Sorry kid, I'm just jumpy." That seemed to placate the kitten as it ran away, purring excitedly now. Mrovv leaned back with her arms crossed.

"You have a way with kits. I am continually amazed by you John." She purred.

"Thanks… I think." He smiled awkwardly.

"Come, the feast will not start without us and the hunters will get impatient soon."

"Well, we wouldn't want that to happen now do we." He quipped. Mrovv's face got serious.

"The males are not as understanding as I am. A few of them do not even think you should still be breathing. Do not look any of them in the eye and do not talk to them. Most understand what you are saying and would not hesitate to rip your head off should you offend them. It was good that you managed to kill the traitor without weapons or you would not be so welcomed into our home. If any of the hunters come after you then run as fast as you can to the nearest tree. They are too heavy to climb trees so you will be safe there. Tread carefully when near them until you win their respect."

He was tempted to laugh at her advice about the trees but something in her face told him that he may indebted to that advice before this thing was over. He swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Stay near me tonight." She ordered before walking off with a very nervous Sheppard in tow.

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Rodney whimpered in his sleep. Teyla adjusted the coat and he quieted. She shuddered in remembrance of the horrors of the day.

She had awakened to find herself being hauled up a large tree. After a moment, she realized that it had a few small huts resting on the large braches. Rope bridges connected this tree to other trees that also bore small tree houses. It was amazing to be sure. The aliens who had her were different than what had originally captured Sheppard. They were as short as she was, though much stronger, and were without tails. A cruel fierce look plastered itself on their faces.

Her captor dumped her unceremoniously into a particularly cramped hut. It was over an hour before she saw Rodney again. His unconscious body was thrown into the same small space. His shirt and coat had been taken revealing a patchwork pattern of bruises on his back. Teyla winced as she saw the painful burn at the base of his neck. She pulled off her own coat and gently wrapped it around him, settling him in the corner of the room.

Dread picked at her as she slowly realized that there was no bigger alien to come rescue them and she figured that Ronon was tracking those bigger aliens. This left the daunting task of escape to her and McKay. She just hoped that McKay would be up to it.

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Sheppard stared at the pile on his plate, seriously contemplating starvation over the goop.

"What the heck is that?" He mumbled to Mrovv. The big cat chuckled.

"It is good for you, eat it." She attacked her own plate with vigor. John scooped up a finger full of it and stuffed it into his mouth, gagging as the foul taste assaulted his tongue. He spit it out with disdain. "There is no way I'm eating that." He stated, pushing the plate away to punctuate his statement. He eyed a large haunch of cooking meat that was slowly being turned over an open fire. His stomach growled as a delightful smell wafted up to his nose. "What about that? Can we eat that?" He asked in earnest.

"If there is any left, you may have some." Mrovv answered. "There is an order as to who is aloud to take the meat first." She explained when she saw his downcast face.

"Oh…ok." He took another glance at the pile of crap on his plate, seriously reconsidering his previous disdain. "Soo, you speak English pretty good. How did you learn it?"

"We are not stupid. My people have known your language for many years. I am one of the teachers of your language so that my people may understand yours."

"Oh…cool. Could you teach me your language?" He asked, hoping to create a kind of respect between the two of them. Mrovv cocked her head.

"It is a difficult language but I suppose I could teach you the basics."

"Well, alright. Now, just what is this stuff? Seriously, it looks like puke or something…kinda tastes like it too."

"Just eat; you will need your strength. We have a long journey ahead." Mrovv shoved another handful of the stuff in her mouth. John scowled.

"What's with you people and bad tasting food…" He grumbled. Mrovv laughed at him but didn't answer. He settled for watching the other aliens at the table, hoping to hold of his hunger for as long as possible. His mind wandered as he watched. He thought about his old kitten he had when he was a kid. The thing hated his guts but he loved it anyway. It ran away after a few weeks, much to his dismay. McKay supposedly loved cats. He had told John about this one wild cat that he tamed once. John had thought it was cool until Rodney confessed that it was tame only after it had been run over by his car.

John's eyes settled on one of the hunters that looked like the old cat. Mangy brown fur with specks of black thrown in. It turned to look at him and Mrovv shoved him with her elbow. "What?" He muttered.

"Don't stare."

"Oh, right… thanks." He moaned to himself, it was going to be a long night.

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Dawn snuck up on the military group before most of them had realized that it was even night. Ronon studied the ground with a bored interest. He chewed on a piece of something and squatted down. The goggle guy bent down next to him, gun 'casually' pointed in his direction. "Are we close?" The man asked.

"Yeah. But there's more than one now." Ronon muttered.

"How many more?"

"A lot. Their bigger to."

The goggle guy blanched visibly. "Keep going." He ordered.

Ronon glared sideways. "I don't think you have enough men to do this." He warned. The other man snarled.

"Keep going." He accented his words by shoving the gun barrel into Ronon's shoulder. Ronon rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

He led them forward for several miles. Gradually he began to sense something else in the forest, following them. A feeling of trepidation grew, much like the first attack. He briefly wondered whether that feeling was brought about from a pheromone that the alien released. It wasn't unheard of…

His thoughts were interrupted by a long loud yowl to his left. It was joined by several other yowls that surrounded them. Weston's men fanned out, guns ready. The goggle guy glanced around franticly.

"Give me a gun." Ronon growled. The man ignored him so Ronon grabbed his shoulder. "Give me a gun!" Goggle guy whirled to face him and then was suddenly snapped, seemingly in half, and hurled to one side in a spray of blood. A giant cat like being crouched at the base of a tree, grinning and licking the blood off of its claws. Its muscles bunched as it prepared to spring forward. Ronon acted fast, his mind acting on instinct alone. He lurched forward as the cat jumped for him and caught the thing in a death grip, skidding to the side and pulling its arms behind to grip its neck. He pulled a knife out of its hidden spot and jammed it into the creatures' head. As its lifeless body fell to the ground, he finally noticed the desperate gun fire from the other men. A few alien bodies lay on the ground but they were quickly out numbered by the ever growing pile of human corpses. Ronon pulled another knife out but refrained from attacking. Instead he ran, quickly recognizing the foolishness of fighting. He leapt into the forest and ran away from the gruesome scene.

He ran till his legs burned before feeling safe enough to stop and rest. As the adrenaline faded, he noticed the warm wetness of blood spreading over his coat. He fingered a long gash like wound, hissing in pain, but was satisfied that it wasn't deep enough to be worried about. He took several deep breaths to clear his mind and think about what to do next. The only conceivable options were to backtrack and find Teyla and Rodney or backtrack to find the trail again to find Sheppard. He knew that Teyla was injured and that Rodney probably couldn't find his way back alone but he also remembered the anguished scream that he'd heard several days ago.

His frustration grew as the minutes ticked by. Finally, with a few choice words, he ran off to find Sheppard. At least McKay and Teyla had each other, Sheppard had no one…. At least, that's what he told himself.

-------------

A/N: I realized as I was writing this last bit that I got really happy when Goggle guy died… now mind you, at that point, the story had a mind of its own so I really didn't intend for him to die necessarily, it just kinda happened, but I was really happy that it happened…do you know just how annoying it is to type Goggle guy over and over again? Sorry…just musing…

TBC….eventually…at some point it time…hopefully…


	10. Ok, we'll go with that

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John jerked awake as a pebble hit him on the forehead. He teetered on the edge of a branch, arms flailing to keep balance. He stared at the branch, eye brows scrunched up as he tried to figure out why he was on it in the first place. Another pebble bounced off of his cheek and he cocked his head to the side to find Skipper gazing at him from the next branch over. He yawned and rubbed his scruffy face with both hands. The night before assaulted his memory and he moaned as his sore muscles suddenly explained themselves. He berated himself for staring off into space, or rather, staring at the head honcho for to long. He did finally figure out just how fast he could run, though he didn't appreciate the humiliating laughter from the rest of the alien cats as he did so.

Skipper yipped at him, cocking his arm for another pebble assault.

"Hey, I'm awake…cut it out…" He grumbled. Skipper purred and pointed down at the ground. John followed the point with his eyes and discovered a bustle of activity going on down below. Huts were being torn down, the woven coverings being rolled into bundles and thrown into an ever growing pile. The females were gathering personal belongings into well oiled leather packs while simultaneously herding the kits into a tight nit group.

John noticed Mrovv heading toward him, grinning ruefully. He sighed and made his way down from the tree branch.

"What's going on?" He asked as she approached.

"We are moving. If you expect to receive food, then you will help." She warned.

"Right well, I'm always ready to help my kidnappers." He muttered sarcastically. "Do I at least get breakfast?" He asked. Mrovv handed him a canteen and he scowled at her but took it anyway, swallowing the foul juice fast before he had a chance to puke it back up again. "So… what do you want me to do?"

"You will help look after the kits." She stated.

"Oh, that doesn't sound too hard." He smiled.

"Sao'ri will be with you, I must scout the road ahead. Do not get into trouble; I will not be here to help you."  
"When will you be back?" He asked, concerned for his own hide more than hers.

"I will meet you by the lakes edge." She answered, hiding a smile.

"How far away is that?"

"Far, but do not worry, you will be fine."

"Right…"

-------------

Rodney howled in pain as he was hulled out of the tree and dropped onto the ground not far below, landing on shoulder which gave a resounding pop on impact. Teyla landed with something akin to grace, rolling as soon as her feet hit the ground. She crawled over to him and helped him to sit up. She was about to speak to him when a pure white alien with red eyes strode over, rope in hand. With the help of some darker minions, it tied their hands behind them, much to the horror of Rodney, and then looped the rope around their necks.

Without one word, the big cats prodded them forward, ignoring the pained whimpers from McKay's direction. They were soon joined by several more haggard looking captives who were all joined together by the rope at their necks. Rodney and Teyla were tied into the main lead and left to struggle on their own.

After several hours of limping, the two 'Lantians developed a system where Teyla would back up as much as possible and Rodney would come forward so that they were at least somewhat side by side. Then she would lean heavily on his good shoulder to keep the weight off of her leg while wrapping her arm around his waist to support him on the other side. The big cats sneered at them and never failed to lash out at them when passing them by.

After hours of marching, the small troop was finally aloud to rest and was given water to drink. Rodney fell to his knees, panting and nursing his arm. Teyla watched him for a moment then touched his good shoulder.

"Rodney? We need to set your shoulder… I believe it was dislocated." She said quietly. McKay turned fearful eyes towards her. Then he nodded and clenched his eyes shut. After a few minutes he cracked an eye open again.

"Well? Are you going to do it or what?" He squeaked, trembling slightly. Teyla smiled sympathetically. She felt a twinge of pride at his bravery. Two years earlier, he would have been a blubbering mess. She took at deep breath and indicated that he do the same. Then she settled her hands gently on his shoulder and elbow.

"I will count to three… One…two...three!" She wrenched backward and winced at the resounding _pop_. Rodney screamed and slumped to the ground, earning several deadly glares from the surrounding aliens. Teyla ignored them and settled on calming Rodney down. Eventually, his pain subsided and he sat up slowly, still panting.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be…" He quipped.

"Really?" Teyla asked.

"Ok, no not really…that was the most awful thing I've ever felt. Sorry, I was trying to make you feel better." He sighed dramatically and snapped his eyes shut, trying desperately not to faint. Teyla shook her head in wonder and joined him in his power nap, praying that they would reach their destination soon. She failed to see the infuriated glare from the white cat.

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_**Six Days later…**_

John growled and barked at the small blond kitten to his right. She stuck out her tongue (something they all learned from him) and ran to the other side of the fire. He rolled his eyes but couldn't help a small smile.

The smile was for more then the cheeky antics. He was downright proud of his accomplishments in the past six days. He figured out the basics to the feline language. The actual sounds were rather difficult but he discovered the importance of facial expressions. He learned how to imitate a few basic sounds that got his points across to the other aliens. Most of the adult cats knew English or at least knew how to interpret it. It was the kits that he had trouble communicating with. Sao'ri helped out a lot and was the only other adult who was flat out kind to him. The others tolerated him and a few were starting become friendly. There was only one group of hunters that flat out hated him still. This group he avoided at all costs though they still got a kick out of tormenting him every now and then, in which case, he would scramble up a tree.

The kits loved him though. He received many annoyed glances from mothers as he and the kits would go tearing through the camp at night with a new found energy. That puzzled him more then anything, the energy he had after the long marches through the forest. Unfortunately, none of the cats knew enough English to explain it to him so he figured it was the leopon juice. The vile juice was basically the staple of his diet. That and the disgusting goop that they gave him. The meat was always devoured before he had a chance to get at it, crushing his hopes every night.

Aside from the bad food and the 'I-hate-John' cult group, he was fine with his situation. Though he was home sick…

Skipper climbed up onto Johns hunched over shoulders and yipped. John reached up and ruffled the fur on his head, then pulled him down into a headlock. Skipper used his abnormally flexible legs to push against Johns arms and twist out of the grasp, grinning wildly. John laughed pushed him to one side. Skipper sobered suddenly and settled cross-legged on the ground next to John.

"What's the matter buddy?" John asked, suddenly concerned. He added a soft purr to his words and softened his facial expressions. Skipper brightened up and handed him an oddly shaped object wrapped in an animal skin. The other kits gathered around, clicking excitedly. Sao'ri hung around in the background, smiling.

John grinned and tugged off the wrapping. What he first took to be half an animal rib cage stared up at him. He looked quizzically at Skipper who picked up the object and held it up in the fire light. The ends of each of the four rib bones were sharpened to a point and the edges were sharpened on one side. Tough leather straps formed a kind of fingerless glove at one end of it. Skipper pulled it over John's hand, tightening the straps.

Sheppard gazed at it, grinning from ear to ear. "Wolverine ain't got nothing on these." He mumbled, flexing his fingers. The claws curved slightly and from base to tip were about four inches long. He tested the edge with his thumb as was surprised to find it razor sharp. His fingers fit perfectly in between the gaps in the bone so he could grip it like a pair of brass knuckles. The engineering of it aloud for him to let the base bone connecting the ribs together to ether set on top of his knuckles or underneath them so he could grip it. He was giddy with the blatant coolness of the weapon. Ronon would be jealous.

"Thanks Skip." He said earnestly. Skipper beamed with pride. John suddenly felt accepted in the tribe of mutant cat people, even if it was only with the kits. He liked the feeling and he determined that he was going to try his hardest to be accepted fully. He would be a cat person if it killed him…or unless his team actually found him…

----------

TBC…please review, even if you read this months after I've written it…


	11. Savage?

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A rough hand shoved Teyla forward and she fell hard on her knees, careful not to cry out. Rodney cursed then gagged as the rope on his neck pulled tight. He found himself staring into the red eyes of the white cat. The cat sneered, a low growl reverberating through its throat. Rodney's eyes grew round, a pathetic gurgle bubbling past his lips. The cat laughed gruffly and dropped him. It yowled to the other cats and they began moving again. Rodney did his best to help Teyla up but only managed in dragging her part way. She tired to stand but her legs gave out. The white cat growled and stalked over. It severed her lead with a deft swipe of its claws and in the same strike, knocked her to the side. Teyla gasped as the cruel claws sliced through her cheek.

"Hey!" Rodney squeaked, his face going pale. The cat whirled to face him, hissing, ears pinned back.

"It is alright Rodney…" Teyla mumbled to him. Rodney threw her an uncertain look but kept his mouth shut. The cat's lip twitched up at one corner, ears still flat against its head. It motioned for the others to move again and Rodney had to trot to keep up as he kept glancing behind at Teyla.

"What...are we just…leaving her?" He babbled. Teyla could only sit and stare as they moved on.

"I will be alright Rodney." She called, trying to sound reassuring. Rodney didn't buy it but could only stumble forward, at a loss for words.

As the group moved away from her, she could feel the sense of dread grow. Teyla attempted to stand again but only succeeded in falling flat on her face. Panic closed in on her but she promptly ignored it.

She would survive… things just happened like that…

-------------

John stretched lazily and leaned back into the tree trunk. Bright morning sunlight sifted in through the tree leaves, bathing the area in a warm green glow. The Sota quickly roused themselves and prepared for the long days march. Sao'ri explained in broken English that they were only three days from the lake's edge. John smiled at the news.

A brown lump of fur sat in a heap next to John. He poked the lump and Skippers head appeared in the lump.

"Come on Skip, we're moving out." John mumbled. The brown kit stretched, yawned and nodded lazily. John pushed himself up to his feet and pulled the kit upright. He found his way over to the other adults and held his canteen out for the daily portion of Leopon juice. He gave a lop sided grin at the black and white female who ladled the juice from a large barrel.

"Good morning Merna." He chripped, adding a soft purr to his words. Merna smiled and purred back, handing him a lump of bread like food with his canteen. John's smile grew bigger and he nodded thanks, putting the bread in the shoulder bag that was given to him.

The group moved out and made what John thought to be good time. They marched for hours and stopped to rest when the sun was at its highest. John took several gulps from his canteen and settled down on a big flat rock. The kits played around him and over him, leaping and somersaulting over his head and racing around the rock. He laughed at their antics and tried to catch them from where he sat. The kits squealed and the sand colored kit took off running into the trees, grinning madly. John huffed, rolled his eyes and ran after her.

"Hey, come back here!" He yelled, growling deep in his throat. She ignored him and ran harder. John's breathing became labored and he cursed at the young cats' stamina. H slowed to a stop and leaned heavily against a tree, panting.

A long loud animal scream ripped through the air and John's heart leapt up into his throat. He tore off into the trees, praying that the kit was alright. He skidded to a stop when he saw her furry blond body at the edge of a creek. Something was wrong with the scene so he crept forward slowly, taking the clawed glove out of his bag and pulling it over his hand. He squatted down next to the bloodied kit and felt for a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the weak heart beat. As he took his hand away, he suddenly found himself being painfully pulled into the water. He fearfully snapped his eyes down to his legs and found a large reptilian animal the size of an alligator firmly gripping his thigh. It heaved backward and pulled him under the frothy waves. He lashed out at it with his claws, feeling the tough bone slice through the leathery skin. The creature instantly let him go and John floundered in for a moment before finding his way back to the surface. He thrust himself out onto the bank with a pained gasp. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the creature clawing its way over the kit, seeking an easier meal that didn't bite back. John snarled and pushed himself forward, just daring the alien alligator to take a swipe at his kit. The reptile saw him coming and whirled around to face him, mouth wide…a mouth that was lined with several rows of sharp teeth. John barreled forward, claws ready. The animal ran towards him as fast as its short legs would go. John jumped up at the last minute, not quite missing the snapping teeth, and landed on its back. He scooted around to sit on it like a horse and drove his claws into the side of the things neck, tugging them upward sharply. The creature surged forward and bucked a few times before the lethal blow took its affect. John wrenched the claws free and stumbled backward, breathing hard through clenched teeth. He sat and just stared at the death thing before working up the strength to stand. He walked with shaky steps to the small kit and felt for a pulse again. To avoid puncturing her, he hastily pulled the claws off and stuffed it back in his bag. He gently picked her up and cradled her to his chest. With a pained determination, he set off for the temporary camp, limping heavily, his bleeding leg shaking violently with each step.

It took him a good twenty minutes to reach the camp and by that time John felt ready to pass out. He made it to the big rock before falling. He twisted to one side to avoid crushing the kit and landed hard on his injured leg. His vision grayed and time slowed as the pain made its way into his thinking. He felt detached like he'd been sucking in the laughing gas at a dentist's office. Thing was, he like the laughing gas and he gladly accepted the feeling now.

A blurred shape appeared at the edge of his vision and he was suddenly air born. The sensation of flying lasted for what seemed like hours before something pricked his skin and reality came crashing in. He shot upwards, gasping. A strong hand pushed him back down and purred. As his vision focused, he could see the gentle face of Sao'ri staring down at him with concern. He brought a hand up to rub his face and groaned as a headache made itself known. John felt the familiar brown paste covering his leg, then he realized, with horror, that he'd been stripped down to his boxers in order to get at the wound. He sighed and tightened the blanket around him.

As things started to click in his mind, he noticed that it was pitch dark out and small fires burned around him. Then he remembered the kit.

"How is she?" He demanded, sitting up again. Sao'ri tried to push him down again but he batted her hand away. "How is she?" He asked again. The big cat huffed and pointed next to him. The kits blond fur was marred by the ugly brown paste in several different places and she was so still that John feared that she was dead but then her chest rose in a shaky breath. He sighed with relief before a cold dread sat hard in his gut.

"Will she be ok?" He glanced fearfully at Sao'ri. The orange cat shrugged sadly and shook her head. John wasn't sure if that meant no or if she was unsure. He hoped it was the latter.

A plate was shoved into his hands and Sao'ri said something that sounded like the word eat. John was about to turn down the plate, not in the mood for goop but looked down anyway and was shocked to find a small pile of meat on the plate. He looked at the cat, surprised. She smiled and nodded. He put a piece in his mouth and decided then that it was the best thing he'd ever eaten. He closed his eyes and savored the taste of it, in love with how the meat practically melted in his mouth. Then he sobered as he thought about how he earned the meat and prayed that it wasn't at the expense of kit. The grim thought made his stomach churn and he pushed the plate away, settling for sleep instead of food. He briefly wondered what his team was doing. Most likely, they were safe and snug in a jumper, searching for him. He took comfort in that fact and let the peace it brought lull him to sleep.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long…I'll try to be faster with the next chapter… if at anytime you have suggestions, please don't hesitate to submit them!

TBC!!!_(Insert scary, dramatic music here)_


	12. Nearly there

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Rodney tripped and almost fell but he threw his body weight backward and wrenched himself upright again. He learned quickly that you didn't fall in front of these aliens. With a grim whimper, he pushed himself forward, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. The marched for miles without stopping, going only slow enough for the weakest human to keep up. If that was to slow, they ether killed the weakest or threw him to the side and left him there. This happened twice, well, three times counting Teyla.

As the sun was setting, without warning, they all stopped, the big white cat pulling the rope back sharply. Then it roared long and loud, bellowing into the air. Rodney dropped to the ground and buried his head between his knees to muffle the noise. It was a good five minutes before it stopped and inhaled deeply. By the time Rodney looked up again, he found that they were all surrounded by hundreds of alien cats.

"Ohh dear…" He mumbled. The mutant kitties seemed to sprout up out of no where, some of them carrying torches while others chanted quietly. The white cat strode forward purposefully, yanking the captives along behind it. As it reached the others, they parted to make a path, their eyes wide with awe and excitement. It struck Rodney as sick and wrong and he had a great desire to smack the excitement right off their faces.

Something stuck up out of the forest, something that didn't belong. It was covered in moss and leafy plant life. Rodney didn't realize just how big it was until he was walking up to it. The structure had a big round dark opening that reminded Rodney of a hungry mouth. The thing felt dark and sinister and as they entered it, Rodney got the distinct feeling that he was going to die.

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Teyla took several deep breaths and rocked forward, using her weight to rock upright and stand on shaky legs. Her left leg stiffened up and couldn't move well so she used long sturdy stick as a crutch. With a grim determination, she hobbled in what she hoped was the direction of home. Actually, anywhere but where she was now would be good.

Teyla aimed for the clearest patches of ground as she struggled forward. Fighting back the agony of each step. It was because of the pain that she didn't notice the sudden quiet that had fallen over the forest. The birds and even the insects had stilled their songs. What she did notice was the unease that had gripped her, her heart beating wildly. She stopped and slowly looked around, wishing that she had her gun with her. A large black shadow flitted around the tree tops so fast she almost didn't notice. Teyla balanced carefully on her good leg and brought her stick up, ready to come crashing down on whatever was tailing her.

The shadow dropped down in front of her and Teyla swung hard. A six fingered hand caught the stick and wrenched it out of her grasp. A big black cat towered above her, its lip curled back in annoyance. Her breath caught in her throat.

"M-Mrovv?"

The cat purred. "Teyla."

Teyla's face grew hard. "You lied to me." She growled. Mrovv cocked her head.

"John was saved. He is with my people now, safe." She explained, her turquoise eyes flashing.

"You were to bring him to us. That was the deal." Teyla insisted.

"No." Mrovv growled deep in her throat. "The deal was to save him from the Torians, which I have done. You should say what you mean pink skin."

Teyla said nothing, just stared at the ground. Mrovv softened.

"I am sorry." The cat cooed. "We need him still. He was willing to help. It is my turn to repay his kindness." She held out a canteen. "Drink, you need strength."  
"Thank you." Teyla said, accepting the proffered liquid.

"I will take you to him." Mrovv insisted. "Come, you must ride on my back."

Teyla hesitated but then nodded. "Thank you Mrovv. I am sorry for accusing you."  
"No, you were only concerned for your friend. Now come, we must hurry."

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John stood at the lakes edge and breathed deeply. He was sure that the oxygen on this planet was special or something 'cause he felt great just breathing it. Of course, he might be feeling great because he felt like an animal…which was sort of an oxymoron. Regardless, he liked feeling powerful enough to kill something with his bare hands and stuff like that…John snorted a laugh at himself.

He glanced around at the encampment, watching the alien's mill around, seeming content to wait for…something. He caught sight of Sao'ri and ran over to her. The gentle cat sat next to the injured kit and John squatted down next to them.

"Hey kid…" He ruffled the fur on the kits head. She turned groggy eyes to him and smiled weakly. Her small chest rose and fell slowly with labored breaths and she mewed in pain with each exhale. Sheppards brow furrowed with concern. Sao'ri turned a pained expression to him, not having to say anything for him to get the message. He cursed to himself. The blond kit's eyes rolled back and she struggled for breath. John turned away and punched the ground with a tight fist. Soon, the sounds of struggling ceased and Sao'ri let loose a long mournful yowl. Other mournful cries joined together and filled the lake side. John felt his heart cry out but his mouth remained clamped shut. He walked stiffly away, limping slightly. He found a rock that jutted out over the enormous lake and perched on it, watching the bluish green water. The agonized yowls grew in volume and then died away slowly, the pain of the loss diminishing with the volume. John felt his own sorrow leave with the noise.

He sighed and picked himself up, wondering where Skipper was. Then he was suddenly air born, falling just as suddenly into the icy water. He sputtered and fought his way to the surface, glancing up to see the dark form of Mrovv standing on his rock with her arms crossed. She had a grin on her face.

"Mrovv!" John exclaimed. He climbed on to shore and ran to tackle her. "What took you so long?"

"I found a…friend of yours." Mrovv explained. She nodded to her left and John followed with his eyes.

"Teyla!" He just stood, surprise evident on his face. "Wha…how…are you alright?" He realized that he truly wasn't expecting to see anyone he knew anytime soon. Teyla gave a small smile.

"I will be fine. And you?" She took note of his…wild…look. He nodded.

"I'm great. But what happened? Where are Ronon and McKay?"

"We were…separated. Ronon went with Weston's men; I do not know where he is now. Rodney and I were kidnapped by the Torians, they left me to die and Mrovv found me." Teyla explained. John cursed to himself.

"We gotta find them." He said, half to himself.

"They have your friend? The one who is like you?" Mrovv asked.

"Yes." Teyla answered.

"It is too late to rescue him now, we must find the village, only then might we be able to save him." Mrovv growled. John thought for a moment then slowly nodded.

"Is it far?" He asked.

"No, but we must hurry." She answered.

"Ok, Teyla, you should stay here and heal first. Mrovv, take me down there and we'll see what we can do."

"I will talk with the hunters and see if they will allow it." Mrovv trotted off and John helped Teyla limp over to Sao'ri.

Teyla found it odd how John was interacting with the aliens. He even went as far as making animal noises. She wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not…

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TBC… please review!


	13. The Village

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Ronon cursed. He had lost Sheppard's trail and had spent the last several days just wandering around, hoping to find it again. He ended up finding a different trail that he was about to abandon completely until he found a small scrap of cloth on that trail. A bit of cloth bore the faded Atlantis symbol. A bit of cloth that was blood stained. Ronon decided then to follow this new trail in hopes of finding someone from his team.

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As soon as Rodney walked into the cavern, old dim lights flickered to life revealing a massive science lab. A large round machine sat in the middle of the room, stretching up past the ceiling. He instantly recognized the technology and for a moment, forgot his own fear.

"Ooo!" He quipped before running for the first computer counsel. The white cat hissed but didn't make a move to stop him. The other captives shuffled about but clearly looked lost in the big room. Rodney snorted as he suddenly figured out what they were there for. "Well I guess cats aren't as smart as I thought." Rodney said to himself before turning to the alien. "You should be grateful that you were lucky enough to find a scientist while you were kidnapping people. Sheppard wouldn't know where to even start on this stuff, even if he could get it to turn on. These people don't even know where they are period." The alien cocked its head to one side and narrowed its eyes, clearly not understanding. Then it growled threateningly. McKay huffed.

"Ok fine, just give me an hour to figure out what this does since you obviously don't want to tell me." Rodney turned to the nearest computer and started to press buttons which pulled up screens that he studied with a practiced efficiency. He made some mental notes and moved on to the next screen. The white cat watched him with a disgusted curiosity and made some clicking noises. McKay rolled his eyes.

"Will you shut up?!" He yelled. The cat suddenly snarled and shoved him against the wall with a strong arm. Rodney went pale. "Nn…never mind." He stuttered, his voice squeaking. The alien huffed and let him go. The scientist moved on to next screen, his hands shaking as he remembered just how he got here in the first place.

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A small group of aliens had gathered at the lakes edge, preparing to go down to the village. Sheppard pulled the strap tight on his pack, securing it firmly to his back. Teyla hobbled over to him, favoring her brown paste encrusted leg.

"I am going with you." She stated, indicating her own pack with a nod.

John stiffly shook his head. "No."

"I am well enough to swim." Teyla insisted. Sheppard was ready to refute her again but a sudden longing for human contact overwhelmed him.

"Fine but don't go wandering off alone. It's always the lone injured person who gets killed in horror movies." He huffed.

"I will be careful." Teyla said with a smile.

A large male alien was walking towards them with a box in his hands. John groaned.

"Crap, what does he want…" John turned to face him. "Har'im." John said, acknowledging the cats' presence. The massive alien regarded him with disdain and flat out ignored Teyla. Mrovv walked up next to him, dwarfed by his size. He handed her the box.

"You need to put these on." Mrovv explained, opening the box to reveal a pile of pink colored gelatinous mass. John's nose crinkled at the sight of it.

"Why?" He asked. Mrovv rolled her eyes.

"Unless you have gills, you will need to be able to breath under the water."

Har'im took a handful of the stuff and held it up to John. "Do not move." The alien commanded. John nodded. The thing on Har'ims palm squirmed and started to move forward. Sheppard's stomach churned as it climbed onto his semi-bearded face and over his lips. He glanced over at Mrovv to find her watching him with a mild interest. He opened his mouth to protest and the mass shot into his mouth and down his throat. John panicked at the sudden intrusion and clawed at it, pulling the thing from his mouth and flinging it against a nearby tree. Har'im hissed and sent a hand across John's face, snapping the man's head sideways and throwing him to the ground. Sheppard lay dazed for a moment, waiting for the stars to clear before sitting up again with Teyla's help. Before he had a chance to fully recover, John was held firmly in place and the mass was shoved into his mouth again. Sheppard shook violently to the shock of the alien presence in his throat as the thing snaked down it and into his lungs, sinking thin tendrils of itself into the delicate membrane of his lungs and throat. It covered his mouth and nose, attaching itself by sinking into his pores with needle like accuracy…and sensation. He struggled to breath but the air would not come and his lungs convulsed in his chest and as darkness edged into his vision, he gave up trying. In that instance, air flowed into his body. The sensation of breathing now seemed detached, like he was on a ventilator. John realized suddenly what the purpose of the mass was but he was none the less freaked out by it. He glared up at Har'im and Mrovv to see them with the same thing over their faces and helping Teyla with her own.

John was given no time to recover from the shock as he was herded forward into the water. Teyla came over next to him and stayed there. Together, they plunged beneath the waves, the pink stuff on their faces filtering the oxygen from the water like fish gills.

John could see the aliens forming into rough line as they swam forward, some of them holding dim yellow lights above their heads. For a few minutes, they swam straight down until the surface was barely visible. Gradually, John noticed another creature swimming around them. A lot of other creatures actually. Ahead, John saw Har'im grab on of the creatures as it swam close to the lights. The thing was like a mutated dolphin with a high dorsal fin. More of the creatures came near and the cats each grabbed onto one. John and Teyla did the same and suddenly shot forward with surprising speed. The dolphin creatures carried them for what seemed like hours and John was surprised at just how deep the lake was. Eventually, the dolphins slowed as they approached a dark ominous shape in the water. The other aliens let go of their steeds and the humans followed suit. John pushed himself forward to find Mrovv hovering over what appeared to be a door. She indicated that he open it. John approached the door, thinking real hard that he really wanted the door open and the door responded as he hoped it would. With a grinding hiss, the urchin encrusted door slid open and John swam through it, the others following him. When the last of the group had come through, the door slid shut and a red light started to blink, the floors started to vibrate, and the water began to drain out of small room. When it was gone completely, another door at the other end of the room opened up. As they stepped through it, bright lights came on and the alien cats gasped.

-------------

**TBC!**


	14. And The Weapon

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"Nonononono! Do not touch that!" Rodney snapped. The small boy backed up a step, a fearful look in his eyes. Rodney groaned. "Oh don't start crying, I hate the crying. Just…go over there and stand there." He turned his attention back to the ancient computer. Rapid text flew across the screen and McKay struggled to keep up. Eventually though, things started to click in his enormous brain and the purpose of the room was starting to become clear. As the text scrolled to an end, Rodney had paled. He turned to look at the ticked off white cat.

"Y—you want me to…bb—but no! I won't do it!" He stuttered, voice raising an octave. The cat's ears were flat against its head and it hissed threateningly. Rodney backed up a step but kept his arms firmly crossed in front of him. The cat moved towards him but then stopped short. Its eyes were unfocused as its ears swiveled around, nose twitching. A low grumble came from its throat and was answered by other aliens in the room. The goose bumps assulted his arms and Rodney stumbled backward until his back hit the wall.

A chorus of yowls and roars sounded outside of the room accompanied by the familiar whine of an energy weapon and the gruff cursing of a certain Satedan. Sounds of fighting increased as the fighters seemed to draw nearer to the structure. The aliens in the building sprang out of it with a snarl.

"Ronon!" McKay squeaked. "Come on Conan, don't get caught." He mumbled more to himself then to anyone else. Quite suddenly, the sounds of struggle ceased. There was one last pained grunt and then nothing. Rodney bounced nervously as he waited for the aliens to return. A small group entered slowly, dragging something heavy in with them. The white cat led the way, limping and holding a hand to its side. A wet red stain was spreading across its white coat and Rodney allowed himself a brief smirk at its injury. Then he saw what they were dragging.

For a scarce second, Rodney thought that Ronon was dead. The man was one big mess of blood and dirt, his dreadlocks already caked with both. He was completely limp. Rodney's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds as he tried to wrap his mind around the new situation. The white alien growled and pointed threateningly at Ronon then at the massive machine in the middle of the room. McKay got the threat. His head bobbed up and down nervously. "Right right ok…um…right. Save Ronon and risk killing Sheppard and Teyla. Kill Ronon and maybe save Sheppard and Teyla." Rodney sputtered for a few seconds. "Oh come on! There is no way I can possibly make this decision!" He yelled. The white cat seemed to understand his trepidation and walked menacingly over to the other captives, grabbing the boy and holding a sharp claw to his neck. Rodney's mouth scrunched up with frustration.

"Now that's just not fair! Five and and two and… Fine fine, I'm going!" He huffed. With hesitant fingers, he started to program the machine, a feeling of dread settling in his gut with each passing second.

-------------

John walked slowly into the room, a wild grin sneaking up onto his face. The aliens were speechless behind him. The room was defiantly of Atlantian design. It wasn't particularly special by John's standards but a large window peered in on something that was. The extra large jumper bay was a sight for sore eyes in John's opinion. He felt downright giddy at the sight of all of the puddle jumpers sitting in it.

"Oh heck yeah!" He exclaimed, or rather tried to. The pink mass in his throat made it rather difficult to speak and the words came out as a muffled mess. For that matter, it explained why the aliens were speechless. The pink stuff seemed to read his mind and began to detach itself. He gagged and coughed, wincing as a searing pain blossomed in his throat. A quick glance to the side showed Mrovv calmly pulling her breathing apparatus out and stowing it in a small box. He dug his fingers into his own apparatus and yanked it out, instigating another stimulating round of coughing and gagging. Har'im, grunting a laugh, came over and _patted_ him on the back which sent John falling to his knees.

"Ow…" John mumbled in-between coughs. Teyla kneeled down next to him.

"Are you alright John?" She asked.

"Yeah I—"He coughed again. "Yeah." Mrovv grinned at him and shook her head.

"So," John said. "we're here. Let's see if we can get this place up and running. I'm betting that this place is pretty much like Atlantis." He walked off down a hallway, the aliens following him like meek kittens.

"This is like your home?" Mrovv asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes, it is amazing isn't it?" Teyla answered.

"Indeed." Mrovv purred.

John felt the city hum as it came to life, sending him the same message he got every time he stepped into Atlantis.

_Welcome home._

He easily found his way to what appeared to be the control room. It was much smaller then Atlantis, comprised of only one level with fewer computers, but a familiar gray ring sat opposite the control area.

"Alright, now we're in business." John quipped. He purred and clicked to the aliens. Teyla cued up a map of the city on the computer. The city, like the control room, was smaller then Atlantis but it had a similar shape and feel to it.

"Ok, let's dial home. I think they'll be wanting to hear from us." He moved to the DHD.

"John." Mrovv growled. "What are you doing?"

"Calling my home. And it's safe for the rest of your …tribe…clan…to come down. I'll open the door for them." John said. Har'im looked unsure but nodded and moved back down the hallway with a contingent of cats. Mrovv and half of the other aliens stayed behind, looking lost. John smiled.

"This place is perfect for your people Mrovv, don't worry." He said reassuringly.

-------------

Rodney whispered a quick prayer and flipped the preverbal switch. The machine shuddered and whined as the old parts struggled to come to life again. The sporadic hum of the thing came faster and faster until it blended together with a whirl of colorful lights.

McKay backed up a few steps, feeling his hair literally stand on end with the powerful static electricity that was pouring off of the contraption. A big section in the middle of it started to rotate, slowly at first and then faster and faster with each passing second. With one final shuddering groan, a wave of energy shot up the machine and out of site.

The white cat yowled triumphantly as the wave descended from the top of the building to sweep slowly across the ground outside. The alien grabbed hold of one of the captives, an older woman, and hauled her outside.

"NO!" Rodney yelled. But it was too late. As the cat reached the slow moving wave, he walked into it with the woman. She screamed a blood curdling scream and convulsed violently, a foaming spittle flying out of her mouth. Her eyes rolled back and blood poured freely from her ears and mouth, even leaking out from her tear ducts.

The cat grinned wildly and let lose a defining roar.

-------------

John moved to the DHD and was posed to punch in the address when an alarm filled the room. Mrovv tensed up, ready for anything. John's eyes quickly scanned the display that had popped up and he cursed.

"Something's coming at us." John yelled above the klaxons "Shield's up, brace for impact in…five…four…three…two…one."

The city vibrated briefly and the lights flickered before going out completely. When the emergency lighting popped on, Mrovv glanced around with a sickening feeling. She growled.

"John? Teyla?" She hissed deeply and moved to investigate the control area. She found the Lantian's in a crumpled heap on the floor…unconscious. Blood dribbled out of their ears and noses. Mrovv hurried over to them and felt for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a fluttering but strong heart beat.

The alarm slowly died away and the rest of the lights flickered to life on a very grim setting.

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TBC yet again….please feel free to review!


	15. Almost Done

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"Oh crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap!" Rodney yelled. "I hate aliens!" He sat slumped down in the corner, burying his head in folded arms. The alien cats dragged Ronon's body further into the room then filed out again. The white cat regarded Rodney with its red eyes. It nodded once and left, the door sliding shut behind it. A loud grating noise sounded outside before everything went quiet, the only audible sound being the quiet breathing of seven people and the hum of machinery. McKay huffed and crawled over to the Satedan. Ronon growled and rolled onto his back.

"Hey," Rodney peeped. "Are you, um…are you ok?"

"I'll be fine." Ronon muttered.

"Ok…right. Ok. We need to get out of here. Ho—how do we do that?" Rodney asked nervously. "Ronon? Ronon?!" The big man was silent having passed out as soon as he claimed that he was fine. Rodney moaned.

"Oohh crap…"

-------------

John woke hesitantly, his head pounding unmercifully. "Ahh, what happened?" He muttered. Mrovv was bending over him, offering a canteen.

"I do not know. You and Teyla collapsed. We were quite concerned." The big cat purred. John started to sit up right but then thought better of it and stayed where he was.

"Is she ok?" He asked, eyes squeezed shut against a wave of nausea.

"She has yet to wake but I do not think that she is any worse then you."

"Well…that kinda sucks from where I'm sitting." He moaned. John suddenly rolled into a ball and groaned as a wave of pain tore through his body like one giant muscle cramp. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and heard a soft purr close to his ear. The purr was long and drawn out and sounded a lot like humming. John found himself purring back, rather pathetically as his throat tightened up on him. Eventually, his body relaxed and he slowly uncurled.

"Ok…I need to dial Atlantis." He said, mostly to motivate himself. "Help me up." He said to Mrovv. She didn't hesitate in hauling him upright with a firm grasp underneath his armpits. With shaking fingers, John punched in the gate address and then opened a radio frequency, hoping that he remembered everything Rodney had taught him about the ancient technology. His spirits rose as the wormhole engaged, shooting sub atomic particles into the room and sucking them back again with just as much force.

"Atlantis this is Sheppard. Please tell me you can hear me."

There were a few minutes of silence and John cursed. "Atlantis this is Sheppard. Please respond." He said with more force. He was suddenly afraid that they wouldn't respond for what ever reason. The thought crushed him.

"John? This is Elizabeth. Care to explain what's going on?" Her voice failed to hide the relief and surprise she felt despite her professional words.

John slumped forward, his muscles relaxing in relief. "Elizabeth, you don't know just how good it is to hear your voice. And I'd love to explain but I don't have time right now. Rodney and Ronon are still missing and I was about to go after them."

"I'll send a team to help." She offered.  
"Great, better send Beckett too. Oh, and don't send them in a jumper."

"Got it. And John, it's good to hear from you too. Weir out."

John disengaged the wormhole and slid down to his butt.

"You're people are coming?" Mrovv asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to need some help finding the rest of my team. You wouldn't happen to know where they might be, would you?"

Mrovv thought for a moment then slowly nodded. "The Torian's have been seeking a weapon now for some time. They believed that this weapon could destroy our enemy. It is possible that they have found it and took your friends there."

"Do you know where it is?"

"No, but Har'im does."

"Great." John sighed. "When he gets back with the rest of your people, I'll ask him to lead us to it." Mrovv cocked her head.

"Do you still fear Har'im?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." John laughed dryly to himself for no real reason.

"You shouldn't." Mrovv said. John looked up at her, skeptical. "And John, you are not alone. We are with you and are ready to do battle with you." She nodded to the other Sota in the room.

"Thank you Mrovv." John said quietly, not sure how to react to the sudden act of friendship.

The chevrons on the stargate started to light up one by one. Soon the wormhole engaged and a troop of people stepped through it. A few of them looked around with an awestruck gaze but most just kept walking straight for Sheppard.

"Sir, ready when you are." Major Lorne looked over him once and promptly ignored his superior's haggard, half naked appearance. John regarded him with a nod and moved on to finding Beckett.

"Carson, Teyla needs help. We both collapsed but she hasn't regained consciousness yet." John told the Scotsman. Carson waved one of his nurses over to Sheppard and turned his attention to the prone woman. John shooed the nurse away with a bad tempered growl after getting some aspirin from her. Finally, Sheppard spied Har'im as the big cat led a group of aliens into the control room.

"Har'im!" John called, trotting over to him. "Do you know where the weapon is that the Torians want?" The large alien thought for a moment and finally nodded its big head.

"Yes." The word seemed to rumble out of Har'ims throat.

"Will you take us there?" John asked.

"I will." Har'im said. John breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He said, truly grateful. Then he turned to the team. "Move out!"

----------

Rodney started to think. Depending on the situation, this could be a good thing or a very very bad thing. Right now it seemed like a good thing.

He tinkered with the death machine, wishing that he had his laptop with him. He pulled up several different displays and typed in a few commands, searching for what he should have thought of long ago. After several minutes of searching, he finally found what he'd been looking for.

"Yes! Ha! You are _soo_ going down!" He pumped his fists in the air then remembered his recently dislocated shoulder. "Ow!" He clutched his arm to his chest, waiting for the pain to ease before typing in the last command.

The machine started to rotate again and a small ring of energy started to grow at the base of it. As the energy shot up to the ceiling, Rodney's lip curled up in a sneer then promptly shot back down again as he turned to come face to face with the white cat.

"O—oh crap!" Rodney squeaked.

-----------

The puddle jumper flew hard over the thick forest, following Har'ims directions. The mutant cat hovered over the pilots set, his eyes wide with barely contained awe. John smirked to himself as he guided the jumper.

"There." Lorne pointed to a brake in the trees. A tall tower reached up past the ancient boughs. A bubble of blue energy climbed up to the top of it and then fell away from it in a circular wave. Alarms blared in the jumpers' cockpit as the wave enveloped the spacecraft.

Sheppard expected to implode or something but nothing happened. "That was weird." He murmured. Then a long loud roar filled the small space. John whirled around to see Har'im on the floor of the jumper, writhing in pain. A red foam formed at the cats' jaws and blood squirted out of his ears and nose. Then, quite suddenly, the roaring ceased and the alien stopped moving.

John cursed. He bent down next to Har'im and felt for a pulse and cursed again when he couldn't feel one. John wasn't quite sure of how he felt about what had just happened. Anger flared up but so did sorrow. He felt a low growl building up in this throat as he stormed back into the pilots' seat and flew the jumper with a new determination.

John found perhaps the only decent landing site in the thick jungle. He cloaked the jumper and set out find the weapon without even turning back to see if his team was following. John tugged on his claws as he walked then pulled out a knife from a sheath that Lorne had given him. Anger clouded his thinking and dulled his senses to what was going on. He broke into a jog. The weeks spent walking the forest floor without shoes had toughened his feet like nothing else. He only slowed when he saw the building. Hundreds of alien corpses littered the space around the building, their dead faces twisted into a pained grimace. John ignored it all and kept walking toward the ominous entryway. He was unsure of where to direct his anger but he figured that it would be in this room.

-------------

Rodney stumbled backward, tripping over an unconscious Ronon in the process. The big cat glared at him, lips curling back in a vicious snarl. It raised a clawed hand, ready to swipe the razor claws across Rodney's throat.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. The cat whirled around, claws ready.

Rodney's eyes snapped over to the entrance and he was dumbfounded.

"Sheppard!" He yelled in disbelief. The man had a crazed look in his eye. Rodney was pretty sure he was rabid. John stood tense, ready to pounce like some wild animal. He looked like an animal too, outshining Ronon's feral appearance. The military commander growled, lips forming a snarl to match the aliens. He stared straight into the red eyes of the white cat, one hand curling around his claws and the other holding tight to the hilt of a knife.

The cat roared and charged forward. John screamed a low feral scream and ran to meet it. McKay winced at the sound of flesh smacking together. The two combatants rolled around on the floor in a flurry of blood and fur. John finally got his feet planted in the cat's stomach and he pushed violently upward, flinging the alien across the room. He stood panting as the cat slowly picked itself up. John held a hand to his stomach, blood seeping around his fingers. The two warriors faced each other again; both crouched, ready to spring forward. After a scarce seconds pause, they went at it again. John grabbed the alien in a giant bear hug and jabbed his knife into its abdomen, then dug his claws into its side, pulling them across slowly. The alien pulled John off, ignoring the ripping flesh, and threw him across the room. Sheppard landed heavily on one of the computers, knocking his head in the process, his eyes rolling up into his head.

The white cat stalked over to its new found pray, limping heavily and listing to one side. It kicked John onto his back and planted a foot on his chest.

Rodney knew he had to do something and do it fast. He groped around in Ronon's hair, gritting his teeth and holding back vomit, until he found a small knife. With a shaking hand, he chucked it at the alien with as much force as he could muster. He nearly fainted in surprise when the blade sunk into the back of the creature. The white cat turned and glared at him before collapsing into a crumpled heap.

McKay just stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. Then he ran to Sheppard. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a strong pulse despite the alarming amount of blood on the ground. Rodney was sure that while the pulse was strong now, it wouldn't be in about ten minutes.

"Dr. McKay!" Lorne and his men ran into the building.

"You have the WORST timing I have ever seen!" Rodney yelled. "Get these two to the jumper now!" He pointed at the two prone men in the room. Rodney suddenly felt faint as the adrenalin faded but he stopped himself from passing out. He figured that two men were hard enough to carry. "Let's go home…please." He muttered.

-------------

TBC…one more chapter to go! Thanks for all of the reviews!


	16. The End

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Elizabeth sat and stared at the occupants of the infirmary with some mixture of worry and relief. How these two emotions could co-exist, she wasn't even going to begin to ponder.

Someone shifted in their bed. She figured it was Ronon since he was the usually the most restless unless he was drugged up to his ears in sedatives. Rodney whimpered in his sleep and jerked awake.

"Rodney, do you need anything?" Weir asked, coming to his bedside.

"What? I'm mean, no. Just a bad…bad dream. Actually, could you bring me my laptop?" He asked. Elizabeth gave him a stern look.

"Rodney…"  
"Oh come on! It's not like I have any life threatening injuries. A bad arm and malnourishment, that's it!" He gazed imploringly at her. Elizabeth smirked and handed him the laptop that she had been hiding behind her back.

"Don't tell Carson I gave it to you." She warned.

"Ha! Thank you." Rodney grinned, turning his attention to the electronic device.

Weir shook her head in amusements, glad to have them home again. She realized then just how much she missed her best team.

"Elizabeth." Carson murmured, coming up behind her. "You need to get some sleep. I've got things under control here." He assured her.

"Of course." She said sheepishly. "But only if you promise to do the same. You've been working hard Carson; make sure everything is ok here and rest."

"Aye lass, I'll rest." He promised. Weir smiled.

"Goodnight Carson."

"Goodnight lass." Elizabeth walked out hearing the whispered lecture from Carson.

"Rodney! Let go of that bloody computer."

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"Sheppard? Sheppard, wake up!" The glaring voice of Rodney yanked him from a peaceful quiet.

"Hrmm…wha? G'way." He mumbled.

"Rodney! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Carson yelled from across the room. John smiled to himself.

"You said he was awake!" Rodney whined.

"I said he _might_ be awake. Leave him alone!"

"Look, he's smiling, he's awake. Come on Sheppard, open you're eyes. Don't growl at me! Open you're eyes! Don't—he's growling at me!"

John inwardly sighed and finally pried his eyes open to find Rodney hovering over his bed.

"We're back?" John asked.

"Well, yes what was your first clue?" McKay snorted.

"Is everyone ok?"

"Ronon got sliced up but he'll be ok. Teyla took a bullet to the leg but she'll be ok too. Everyone was, yet again, all worried about you."

"What's wrong with—"John started.

"Oh you managed to crack you skull open, among other things." Rodney blurted. John's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Oh?"

"Yeah and it was _after_ you cracked your head open that I saved your life."

"You?"

"Well don't act so surprised. Yes me!"

"How's Mrovv?" John suddenly asked, concerned.

"Mrovv…Oh yes, the cat woman. She's fine. The shield was up in time… I'm…I'm sorry about that by the way." Rodney muttered.

"You turned the weapon on?" John asked, face growing hard.

"I…the—the first time I had no choice in the matter. The second time I was trying to save—"

"Its ok Rodney, I understand." John said, dismissing the issue completely. "Did they get settled in the city?"

Rodney was quiet for a moment as he tried to deal with his guilt. "Um…uh yeah, I set it up for them so they don't have to have the ATA gene, though I hear that Carson is going to experiment to see if we can give it to an alien life form. Anyway, they are planning on building a village close to the original gate so they can be closer to the forest. Oh and they invited us to a feast or something. Well, they invited you and said we could tag along."

"Thanks Rodney."

"Well, your welcome…I guess. Now you can go back to sleep before Beckett kills us both." Rodney ordered. John sighed and slowly nodded his head, to tired to argue with him.

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_**Two Weeks Later**_

John tugged the hat down lower, trying desperately to hide the bald spot where they put his head back together again.

"Stop fussing, you look fine." Teyla scolded him.

"You don't have a bald spot." He retorted. She smiled and shuffled forward on her crutches.

"We will be late if you do not hurry." She warned.

"I know, I'm coming." He huffed. "Remember guys, don't look the males in the eye and be reverent. Don't insult these cats because they can understand most of what you say. If one of the males comes after you, run for the nearest tree, they're too heavy to climb trees and you'll be safe there."

"Why are you looking at me?" Rodney groused.

"Just…be careful Rodney. And you might want to keep your power bars handy." John warned and trotted through the stargate with his team plus Elizabeth following him. On the other side, they were met with a thunderous roaring and cheering and horn blowing. The Sota crowded in around the stargate, barely making room for the five Atlantians. John stepped forward, smiling. He exchanged grunts and purrs with a few cats before a blur of brown fur barreled into him. The other 'Lantians tensed, Ronon reaching for his gun, but John held out a hand to stop him before wrestling with the brown blur. After a few seconds of tussling, John lifted a small cat onto his shoulders.

"Guys, this is Skipper." He announced. Skipper yipped excitedly from John's shoulders and stuck out his tongue.

"John." Mrovv finally appeared, grinning from ear to ear.

"Mrovv!" John walked forward to meet her.

"Come, we have been waiting." Mrovv directed her order to the other humans and John felt honored that he didn't need to be told what to do anymore. As they walked, Skipper tugged the cap off of Johns head and made a cooing noise. John rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Did you have to go and do that?" He muttered. Mrovv turned to see what was happening and stared at his head.

"Very impressive for a pink skin." She teased but behind her tone, she sounded truly impressed.

"Oh gee thanks." He mumbled, but he didn't put the cap back on.

A procession of cats followed the 'Lantians with lots of dancing and music and what John took to be singing. Excitement hung in the air as they made their way to the newly built village of Sota.

The rural village was much like what John had seen before except that the huts had more permanent solid wood walls. A long wooden table stretched out off center to an extra large fire that blazed in the center of it all. The fire was large enough for two large animal carcasses to cook at the same time on giant spits.

John was seated at the head of the table along with Mrovv. Rodney, Ronon, Teyla and Elizabeth sat along the side, each looking very uncomfortable and out of place.

Sao'ri walked up to them, an army of kits in her wake. She handed John a wrapped parcel and backed away again, the kits running up to surround him. John pulled off the wrapping and stared at the object in his lap.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked. He held it up, a morbidly amused smirk on his face. A large, bleached cat skull balanced in both palms. A strange, simple design was carved into the top of it.

"Its…cool?" John looked quizzically at Mrovv, hoping that was the right reaction.

"It is the head of you're enemy, the traitor. It is a common practice for young Sota warriors to save the skull of their first enemy killed in battle. The scares of this first battle are carved into it so that all may see. This is a mark of prestige and honor and is often offered to a potential mate to prove ones worth. It is also when a kit is considered an adult." She explained. John's eyebrow's shot up.

"Oh. So this is what my back looks like? Huh." He traced the pattern with a finger, unsure of whether he thought it was cool or not.

"That's disgusting." Rodney grumbled, refusing to look at it. The cats around him laughed and he promptly ignored them.

The feast stretched out long into the night until John was so tired, he could barely see straight. Teyla and Ronon weren't much better since all three of them were still recovering and on heavy medication. Mrovv and a few other cats helped them get back to the gate safely.

"Farewell John." Mrovv purred. "You are welcome in our village anytime."

"Thanks Mrovv." John muttered drunkenly, trying to stay awake. She smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Come back soon to visit us pink skin." She ordered.

"You got it pussy." He smiled and waved before following his team into the gate and home.

**Fin.**


End file.
